About Me
Ph.D. Candidate | Evolutionary Biology | Texas A&M University
- Welcome! I'm Jorja Burch, and I am currently a third year Ph.D. candidate in the Biology Department of Texas A&M University.
- Email: jorjaelliott@tamu.edu
- Department Phone: (979) 845-7747
- Website: jorjaelliott.github.io
- Research Interests: Plant Biology, Quantitative Genetics
Biography
Explore my current and previous research, as well as my professional experiences.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Biology
2021 - present
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Studying epistatic gene action and additive gene action to understand how organisms respond to changes in environment or domestication
Bachelor of Science in Biology
2017 - 2021
Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS
Graduated with Honors
Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science Graduate
2017 - 2019
Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS
Professional Experience
Graduate Research Assistant
2022 - present
Texas A&M University
Graduate Teaching Assistant
2021 - 2022
Texas A&M University
- Teaching Assistantship through the Lower Division Introductory Biology Program at Texas A&M University
- Fall 2021 Introductory Biology 111, U 60 students
- Spring 2022 Introductory Biology 112, U 50 students
- Fall 2022 Introductory Biology 111 Honors, U 24 students
- Fall 2023, Spring 2024 Critical Writing in Biology, U 50 students
Research Assistant
Summer 2020
Heartland Plant Innovations, Manhattan, KS
- This facility produces double haploid strains of wheat with the goal of producing genetically pure plant lines that serve to accelerate the breeding process, offer a quick route to new gene transformations, disease resistance, and improved quality and yield.
- I learned commercially-oriented research techniques, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gel electrophoresis analysis of genes, emasculation, embryo rescue, application of hormonal treatments, and disease management.
Publications
See my most recent publications below.
Wright was right: Leveraging old data and new methods to illustrate the critical role of epistasis in genetics and evolution
https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpae003
Composite trait genetic architecture
Current Project
Line cross analysis is a common quantitative genetics method used to quantify the genetic architecture underlying traits in crosses between two lines, species, populations, etc. The expectation is unknown for the genetic architecture of a compound trait that is composed of multiple component traits (e.g., ratio of leaf width to leaf length being used as a measure for leaf roundness). This project involves simulations where we try to illustrate the expectation for genetic architectures of compound traits, depending on how the component are combined (multiplicative, ratio, etc.).
Morphological traits and maternal genetic effects
Current Project
Through generation of crosses between two tomato species, we were able to quantify the genetic architecture uunderlying eight morphological traits. We were able to show a key role for maternal effects and characterize the frquency of epistasis and impacting morphological traits.
Evolution of traits in S. pennellii and S. lycopersicon
Current Project
What proportion of trait divergence among tomato species is due to epistatic variation? By observing morphological and life history traits across seven crosses of tomatoes, I have used a quantitative genetics method, line cross analysis, to infer the net genetic architecture for traits that have diverged in the parental strains.