Nikole Bonacorsi
After completing her BA with a double major in Biology and Psychology at Hamilton College, Nikole pursued her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Brown University, where she remained as a Visiting Assistant Professor. Nikole is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Hamilton College, her alma mater! When she isn't teaching or thinking about plants, Nikole spends her time reading, writing, boxing, and going on walks with her dog, Rocko.
EDUCATION
2008 - 2011
Oswego High School
Public HS kids feel free to contact me!
2011-2015
Hamilton College
BA, Biology & Psychology
2015-2019
Brown University
PhD, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Email:
About the Lab
The Bonacorsi Lab is focused on understanding the evolution of morphological diversity in plants. We particularly focus on plant reproductive structures because they display an incredible diversity of forms that reflect a variety of evolutionary processes. We utilize techniques and ideas from several disciplines, including paleobotany, phylogenetic biology, (paleo)ecology, and biomechanics in order to understand why plants look the way they do (or why they looked the way they did in the deep past), and to determine the evolutionary processes underlying changes in morphological characters through time. We combine perspectives from living plants and the fossil record; the fossil record provides crucial information about patterns of character state changes and changes in morphological diversity through deep-time, which is particularly important for some of the ancient lineages and evolutionary transitions we study. We welcome students of all ages and interests to the lab!
