Clayton Hale (he/him)

My team is recruiting a MSc student for a new grant investigating forested wetland responses to Hurricane Helene. The student will lead a GIS project mapping disturbance type and severity in the ETSU Geosciences dept. The catch: they would need to start this fall semester (about a month from now).

Evidence that I still make time for a little whitewater while finishing my PhD🌊

I had a wonderful time at Evolution last week in Cleveland! I presented a talk on how global change influences the phenology and vital rates of spring ephemerals and a poster on conservation data needs for rare and imperiled plant species. See you in San Juan next year! #evol2026

Headed to Evolution in Cleveland! Speaking Tuesday at 2:30 PM on how climate affects spring ephemeral fitness through direct and phenological pathways. Also presenting a poster Sunday evening on conservation data needs and evolutionary biology. Hope to see you there!

Started a short-term internship this week at Atlanta Botanical Garden working on the population genetics of rare & imperiled plants 🌿🧬 Excited to build my genetics + wet lab skills. Huge thanks to UGA's Franklin College supporting this opportunity and ABG for hosting me!

Natural Science Collections Facility Postdoctoral Fellowship // SANBI www.sanbi.org/job/natural-... Call for applications to carry out a research project: Understanding Knowledge Flows, Societal Impact, and Value Chains of South African Taxonomic Research and Digitised Collections. #BotanyJobs

Once you've called SNPs and gotten a vcf, do you all have any favorite little checks? Stuff like, is pi_n < pi_s? I'm trying to write up a list for my lab and am curious what other folks do.

FUNDING ALERT: Looking for seed funding for a project to support science writing? Apply for a Peggy Girshman Idea Grant. Funds of up to $10,000 are available in this round. Applications due May 15. HELP US SPREAD THE WORD:

The fourth year of my Trillium persistens demography censuses are underway! With state and federal partners, I am working to better understand the drivers behind recent population declines in this federally endangered species. Excited to be back in the field and digging deeper into these dynamics!

First blooms of the season in my spring ephemeral warming experiment!! I sure do love pretty wildflowers🌸

I am honored to receive the Wilbur Duncan Outstanding Graduate Student Award from my department. My deepest thanks to the mentors, collaborators, and family who made this possible.

Who gets to report the environmental crisis matters. In 2026, Mongabay is expanding the Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship — our largest cohort yet. Paid, remote, for early-career journalists from tropical countries. Apply by Feb 1: buff.ly/sH4S0O2 Learn more: buff.ly/1Bp60qD

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Excited to share that, with state partners and the TVA, we’ve launched long-term monitoring of the federally listed Pityopsis ruthii, found in just two East Tennessee riverbeds. We're studying how hydrology and dam releases shape the future of this rare species!

Hungary 1956 'Well over a 100k people fled the country seeking asylum. Among them was a young geneticist named George Rédei, who headed for the Austrian border with a small vial of seeds tucked in his pocket. The seeds belonged to a spindly weed in the mustard family called Arabidopsis thaliana.'

What a dream job!

Help! 🚨 Looking for resources on structural equation models—favorite methods papers, example studies, or guides for building an SEM pipeline. Thinking of using one for a dissertation chapter & not sure where to start. Suggestions? Please share!

Cool day helping @chale9.bsky.social with fieldwork! Surveyed fothergilla in a longleaf pine forest and saw some amazing carnivorous plants!! 🌱

I hadn’t seen it for a couple of years so it was extra special in early June to catch up with my #FavouritePlant! The gorgeous Mertensia maritima, commonly named Oysterplant, as the leaves taste like the fruits of the sea! Caithness #Wildflowerhour

Just got back from an incredible experience contributing to a 30-year plant demographic study in the Alaskan Arctic. What an amazing, beautiful, and wild place. Can’t wait to go back! @chandler2228.bsky.social

What a wonderful day driving the Dalton Highway to arctic Alaska! Now it’s time to measure some plants! @toolikfieldstation.bsky.social

Climatic determinants of plant #phenology in vernal pool habitats New #AJB research by Brandon Thomas Hendrickson, Jenna Aubrie Benterou, Robert Martin & Jason Sexton doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #botany #plantscience #citizenscience #wetlands

I am in my hometown visiting family for a few days and got the opportunity to see one of my favorites, the Tennessee coneflower! It was one of the first plants listed under the Endangered Species Act and was delisted in 2011. A rare conservation success story!

As we’re wrapping up Pride month, check out this podcast on Queer Ecology & how we can teach it in classrooms! Spotify: lnkd.in/eGBJMGbH Apple Podcasts: lnkd.in/es-gwyjB Thanks for having us, @pangolinpodcast.bsky.social! 🏳️‍🌈

#Evol2025 was such an amazing experience! I presented my work on sexual differentiation in Silene acaulis, watched my science heroes present their work, and connected with others working on similar questions. I feel fortunate to be surrounded by an amazing group of supportive and brilliant people!

Had an amazing time at #Evolution2025 — Grateful for the chance to share my work on how phenological shifts are impacting plant fitness. Until next time! #Evol2025

Huge S/o to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh for having a beautiful and informative herbarium exhibit! At a time when herbaria are being defunded and erased, exhibits like this are crucial for the public to understand their value! 🌍🌻🌱 @thebotanics.bsky.social

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You asked for it, you got it. Biology is Bigger than Binaries is now on a shirt! Designed by @franzanth.bsky.social, printed here in Philly on 100% cotton Next Level Tees. We've got... ironically 2 colors to choose from lmao. Pre-order open until May 31! squidfacts.bigcartel.com/product/bina...

Check out these awesome science activism posters! They also support Skype a Scientist. I just ordered mine. @skypeascientist.bsky.social squidfacts.bigcartel.com/product/scie...

We estimate up to 800 rare tree species may still remain undetected here. These are at growing risk of extinction due to deforestation. Since 1985 the Cerrado has lost 24 billion trees, threatening all its biodiversity.

#42 from my Women in STEM series: Helia Bravo Hollis #WomeninSTEM #diversityinSTEM #botany #systematics #academicsky #womenshistor

Exciting news! I’ve just published my website. Link below—let me know what you think, I would love some feedback! 🌍🌱 sites.google.com/view/clayton...

Overblown press releases have consequences. Yes, university academics, this means you too www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

While doom scrolling on the AP’s front page I came across this awesome nugget squeezed in between a story about illegal detentions and the economy crashing. It’s the little things! apnews.com/article/nati...

Saw some fun things while collecting data with @chale9.bsky.social yesterday! Clayton collects demographic data on a rare Trillium species. Southeast forests are pretty cool!

New paper just arrived! Did you know there are trees in the High Arctic? They indeed are, just a little bit small. Just couple of centimetres. But they are a very important part of the ecosystem! 🧵👇

Happy National Day of Transplanting Spring Beauty from the Front Yard to the Native Plant Bed. #Geophytes #Claytonia @chale9.bsky.social