Lucas C. Wheeler

My work in the Harms lab at University of Oregon focused on understanding the evolution of protein biochemical properties and activities. My later work, comprising the last chapters of my dissertation, was centered on the evolution of peptide binding specificity in the S100 protein family. Using molecular phylogenetics and ancestral... [Read More]

Growing up I spent a lot of Winter and Spring vacations with my family traveling from Oregon to the Southwest desert for long camping trips. The Southwest remains one of my favorite places in the world, the Mojave and Sonoran deserts in particular. My parents love it so much that... [Read More]

My research in the Smith lab has once again taken me to the Southern hemisphere! We are compiling a large transcriptomic dataset from across the Petunieae sub-family of the Solanaceae family. This work necessitates sampling from individuals of this group in their native habitats, which are found primarily in South... [Read More]

I just got back the other day from a trip to the Western slope of Colorado, where I engaged in two outreach activities with children. I presented in Telluride,CO on July 2nd and Ridgway, CO on July 3rd. The events were organized by the Pinhead Institute in Telluride, which organizes... [Read More]

I recently traveled to Providence, Rhode Island for the Evolution 2019 meeting. I had the honor of giving a presentation, which was recorded and can be viewed here. The conference was excellent! I had the opportunity to meet with collaborators, old friends, and other colleagues which led to many great... [Read More]