Yannick Woudstra

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I am passionate about plant biodiversity, both from an evolutionary/ecological perspective as well as the classification of plants (taxonomy). I studied plant taxonomy and conservation at Kew Gardens, one of the most prominent scientific botanical gardens in the world, eventually specialising in evolutionary genomics. I developed plant identification tools using DNA evidence to help track illegal succulent plant trade (relatives of Aloe vera); I studied the evolution of disease resistance genes in the dynamic genomes of conifers; and more recently, I have been branching out into urban ecology. I was the first to demonstrate that plants are evolving in response to urban heat islands; and I also study the effects of habitat fragmentation on the dispersal of urban plants. Through this focus on urbanisation I became enchanted with dandelions (the plant genus Taraxacum), which is now becoming the main focus of my research. Currently, I focus on the evolution of asexual (clonal) reproduction in these plants and I investigate the effects this has on ecologically relevant aspects such as pollen production.

Experience

  • 2024–present
    Postdoctoral researcher in Evolution of Asexual Plants, Stockholm University
  • 2022–2023
    Postdoctoral researcher in Urban Evolution of Dandelions, Netherlands Insitute of Ecology
  • 2021–2022
    Postdoctoral researcher in Comparative Genomics of Conifers, University of Oxford

Education

  • 2021 
    Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew & Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, PhD in Evolutionary Genomics
  • 2017 
    Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew & Queen Mary, University of London, MSc in Plant & Fungal Taxonomy, Diversity and Conservation

Publications

  • 2024
    Some like it hot: adaptation to the urban heat island in common dandelion, Evolution Letters
  • 2024
    Conifers Concentrate Large Numbers of NLR Immune Receptor Genes on One Chromosome, Genome Biology & Evolution
  • 2021
    A customised target capture sequencing tool for molecular identification of Aloe vera and relatives, Scientific Reports

Grants and Contracts

  • 2025
    Marie-Sklodowska Curie Actions – Postdoctoral Fellowship – NoSexPoorPollen: The Evolutionary Degeneration of Pollen in Asexual Dandelions
    Role:
    Principal Investigator
    Funding Source:
    European Commission

Contact Yannick for

  • General
  • Media request
  • Speaking request
  • Consulting / Advising
  • Research collaboration
  • Research supervision