Laura Lagomarsino, PhD
Botanist. Evolutionary biologist. Associate Professor and Herbarium Director, LSU. Passionate about plants, inclusive mentoring, and puzzles. I don't know what I'm doing here.
https://www.lagolab.net
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDHoly shit: it's an RFP for the NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology (PRFB). Hello old friend www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
- Welcome Dr. Laymon Ball into the world! @laymonstera.bsky.social rocked her PhD defense today.
- My student @laymonstera.bsky.social is defending her @lsubiosci.bsky.social @lsuscience.bsky.social PhD thesis today! If you're at LSU, join us in LSA A101 at 1pm for Laymon's talk: "Disentangling Mechanisms of Speciation in a Florally Diverse Neotropical Plant Clade, Hillieae (Rubiaceae)".
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDThis is Callie. She is trained to accurately detect bowel cancer in order to provide rapid diagnoses through non-invasive testing. Some might call it lab work, but Callie is actually a sprocker spaniel. 14/10 incredible job, Callie (IG: medicaldetectiondogs)
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDThere's a lot going on right now. But I just want to take a moment to celebrate the recent accomplishments of the truly incredible young scientists I get to work with on a daily basis in my lab. #proudPI Here are some of their recent accomplishments (a thread):
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDA new extreme of meiotic evolution: ✔️ 𝗻𝗼 crossovers ✔️ 𝗻𝗼 gene conversion ✔️ 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 meiosis & fertility Sex mimics clonality without becoming asexual, in the holocentric multicellular eukaryote 𝘙𝘩𝘺𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘴. more about it: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDOne little thing you can do if you’re feeling helpless tonight: throw a few bucks to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. They’re reportedly stretched thin for obvious reasons and could use some help if you can offer it. www.ilcm.org?ref=badfaith...
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDAnd it's out indeed! Huge congrats to @josanesousa.bsky.social, @gabrielalima19.bsky.social, @perezlouise.bsky.social & Hannah Schof! A true tour-de-force that highlights how emerging model systems can shed new light on long-standing macro-evolutionary questions. Go #axolotl, #polypterus #zebrafish!
- It’s out! 🐟 We compared three regeneration superstars—axolotl, zebrafish, and Polypterus—to ask how animals regrow limbs and fins. We find shared core processes, and other programs fine-tuned by evolution in surprising, lineage-specific ways. tinyurl.com/mpftkn7y
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDHow to get into nature.
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDA greeting card for my Bluesky friends
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDThe National Science Foundation sign on our Eisenhower Av building is now gone. The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets. We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
- Life has been an absolute whirlwind for me for the last 10 days with #SSB2026 and associated meetings in Baton Rouge. But my heart has been so full, sharing my home with some of my very favorite people 💛💜. Looking forward to a calm weekend though…
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDNice to see strong support in Congress: “In an 82-15 vote, the Senate approved a minibus budget bill to fund agencies involved in science and the environment, among other issues, through Sept. 30. The bill passed in the House last week by a vote of 397 to 28.” www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
- Apparently I'm the Director of a 3-star herbarium?
- Some of the most disturbing photos I’ve seen…
- Stunning photos from Minneapolis, including this one by John Locher for the Associated Press. www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
- So, @tribblelab.bsky.social, @jesusgm.bsky.social and I (with Tanya!) have been up to conference shenanigans since at least 2018, when we stole the inflatable cactus marking the next year's meeting in Tucson and ran around the Rochester, MN conference center with after the ASPT banquet. #botany2018
- I went to the club in the city I’ve lived in for 8.5 years for the first time tonight- thanks, #SSB2026! With @jesusgm.bsky.social and @tribblelab.bsky.social
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhD[Not loaded yet]
- I learned so much about other types of collections from this panel. Thanks for organizing, @corriemoreau.bsky.social !! I hope we can continue these discussions going forward.
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDWe've just created an exciting new Phylogenomics Botanist role to join our vibrant team at Botanic Gardens of Sydney and help us build the NSW Plant Tree of Life! Applications close 26 Jan 2026: iworkfor.nsw.gov.au/job/phylogen... #botanicgardens #nswflora #nswptol #phylogenomics
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhD[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDJoin @amsocplanttaxon.bsky.social for the first webinar in our 2026 series: "Taxonomy: What is it good for?" Free to all! Join us to hear @sandyknapp.bsky.social's "Of course taxonomy matters! The story of the mega-genus Solanum (Solanaceae)" Pls register & share: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
- Please come join us for @corriemoreau.bsky.social's LSU seminar today at 1pm in Life Sciences Annex A101 on the LSU campus. This includes folks who are still in Baton Rouge following the awesome #SSB2026 #SSB26 meeting! It's gonna be epic 🐜🧬🌧️🔬🧫🌳!!!
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhD[Not loaded yet]
- I went to the club in the city I’ve lived in for 8.5 years for the first time tonight- thanks, #SSB2026! With @jesusgm.bsky.social and @tribblelab.bsky.social
- Happy #SSB2026 from the #LagoLab and #ZeFeLab, descendants & friends! @tribblelab.bsky.social @laymonstera.bsky.social @racheljabaily.bsky.social @oschwery.bsky.social @evoyeyo.bsky.social @nicolas-cr.bsky.social @justkathe.bsky.social @laufran.bsky.social @ixchelgr.bsky.social @roszenil.bsky.social
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhD[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDSupport from @amsocplanttaxon.bsky.social up to $1500 is available for masters and doctoral students to conduct fieldwork, herbarium studies, and/or laboratory research in any area of plant systematics. Join ASPT today, and apply by Feb 28, 2026... details below: www.aspt.net/awards
- Fun fact for #SSB2026: the original Raising Cane’s- the mothership- is in Baton Rouge, right next to the LSU campus. Come for science and community, and stick around for chicken fingers!
- I had a more than 100-day Wordle streak going throughout my sabbatical- I embedded it in my slow and deliberate morning routine. Seems appropriate I lost it today, the day I turned off my out-of-office message 😖.
- My Mardi Gras season has begun! My #SSB2026 has begun! My Mardi Gras SSB season jams begun! #LaissezLesBonsTempsRouler with @roszenil.bsky.social @nicolas-cr.bsky.social #LagoLab #ZeFeLab
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhD[Not loaded yet]
- Um, okay then, what a morning to wake up…
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDI wanted to get a video of this ghost crab but every time I got close to their hole they scuttled back in, so I tried getting clever with it. I made a little sandcastle and shoved my phone into it, hit record, and walked away. Crab was VERY suspicious of this addition to their environment.
- I paid someone $$$ to detail my car today, including shampooing the upholstery- a car we’ve had for a decade without shampooing- and let me tell y’all, that’s some of the best money I have ever spent. It’s shiny clean, and I got to leave a nice tip the young, new business owner was thrilled about!
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhD[Not loaded yet]
- Botanists x word nerds having fun with today’s NYT Connections: Things associated with angiosperms: flowers, Solti. Things associated with Florida: retire, melodramatic, Solti. Things that famously come in pairs: musical notes, cherry, Solti. (Alas! None the correct answer.)
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDCurator of Education job (tenure-track Assistant Professor) at the Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado Boulder! Salary $90-$100K, 9 month full time position. Apply by Jan 21. jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDPreprint up now! With @ferrisifolius.bsky.social, we found positive selection on leaf shape plasticity across the altitudinal range of the cutleaf monkeyflower. This experiment was a HUGE personal undertaking. If you give it a read, I’d love to hear your thoughts! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
- I’m so proud of new PhD holder, @evoyeyo.bsky.social- now an @lsuscience.bsky.social and #LagoLab alum. He’s off to a postdoc at University of Arkansas with @phylieu.bsky.social!
- Last day at @mobotgarden.bsky.social for what has been the loveliest sabbatical stay, and finally I got to have a good catch up over lunch with Prez Lúcia Lohmann! Her vision for the future of the Garden is so exciting, I’m so optimistic for the future of systematics in this hallowed institution.
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhD[Not loaded yet]
- At that stage of recovery from a cold where coffee smells delightful again 😃😃!! But tastes absolutely terrible ☹️☹️. Still gonna drink it, been missing caffeine…
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDWe 💚 the Stranger Plants—and now they’re on #BSAswag! The shirts feature bold illustrations by BSA’s own Catrina Adams, with a list of each species by common & scientific name on the back. BSA members (exp. 2026+) get 10% off—email aneely@botany.org for code. www.bonfire.com/store/bsa-wi...
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDIt’s reached that time of year again where I gently suggest you hang on to your manuscripts and submit them early in 2026. Otherwise they’re likely to just sit on a virtual to do list for the next 3 weeks sending auto-reminders to editors/reviewers. 🎄
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDField botanist job with Virginia Natural Heritage, based in Roanoke, VA. $55-65K pay range. Please share widely! www.jobs.virginia.gov/jobs/field-b...
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhD[This post could not be retrieved]
- New time sink from my employer just dropped! Instead of likely inaccurately anticipating the number of times I'll be on a pier during future international fieldwork, I could be writing a grant. Whose indirect pays the personnel who approve these forms, and so the cycle continues...
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDGreat question! 1) First and foremost, we evaluate a candidate based on the departmental guidelines and expectations provided. We don't hold the candidate to arbitrary standards, or even to those of our own institution unless asked to do so. We assess the materials against the guidelines provided.
- A #botany achievement: I determined my first #Palicourea #Rubiaceae specimen to species- P. atlantica!! But my collaborator and coffee family mentor Charlotte Taylor’s name still made it to the label, since she is an author of the species. May not seem like much, but feels like a big deal to me! 🤓
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDThe Black Death was history's worst documented demographic disaster. New research shows it was also a bizarre anomaly, the unlikely result of volcanic eruptions, multiple consecutive poor harvests in Italy, a war between Genoa, Venice and the Mongols, AND a Black Sea plague outbreak. @science.org
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDThe @mortonarboretum.bsky.social NSF REU program is open for summer 2026! $7500 stipend + housing / travel. Apply by 31 Jan 2026 and share with your networks! Details at https://mortonarb.org/science/opportunities-in-science/research-experiences-for-undergraduates-program/
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhD[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDPhD position available in evolutionary genomics/bioinformatics (hoehnalab.github.io/job_adverts/...). Topic: analyzing gene expression evolution across several firefly species and linking expression changes to genomic architecture. The position is jointly supervised with @anaevolcatalan.bsky.social
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDThe frequency and importance of polyploidy in tropical rainforest tree radiations Schley et al. nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDI'm hiring a full time fixed-term 1yr lab tech to assist with field and greenhouse projects related to floral evolution and plant reproductive ecology. Please share! Ideal start date early 2026. jobs.clemson.edu/psc/ps/JOBS/...
- My #PhySky folks, help me! I commonly hear that concatenation approaches are more appropriate than the MSC for phylogenetic datasets with lots of conflicting signal (like the ones we generate in my lab-- thanks introgression, ILS, and all the complexity of the Andes!). What citations support this?
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhD[Not loaded yet]
- I got to hold first edition Linnaeus and first edition Darwin today, nbd. (Both jewels of the @mobotgarden.bsky.social library.)
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhD[Not loaded yet]
- Goodness this is racist and also a good way to shoot our academic research system in the foot. Deliberately so, of course, as so many policies (and proposed policies) are these days.
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDNSF is open again! A few comments: *Please be patient. During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails. *Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th. *POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhD
- Reposted by Laura Lagomarsino, PhDScientific breakthroughs are rarely unique; someone else would’ve made them soon enough. But when prominent scientists cause harm, that harm isn’t inevitable; the world might simply have been better had the harm not been inflicted. liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
- Just realized that @laymonstera.bsky.social acknowledged my silly dog Rocoto in her recent @journal-evo.bsky.social ms! "Continued encouragement" = hot doggy breath over her shoulder when she's eating. Anyway, it's an excellent paper and you should check it out! academic.oup.com/evolut/artic...
