Kathryn G. Turner
turner@biodiversity.ubc.ca
www.kathryngturner.com
Education:
University of British Columbia, Vancouver
PhD Candidate, Botany
University of Texas at Austin
BS in Biology (Plant Biology) with Honors
BA in Asian Studies with Honors
Sept 2008- present
Aug 2000 - May 2005
GPA: 3.8/4.0
Publications:
1. Turner KG, Grassa CJ. 2014. Complete plastid genome assembly of invasive plant,
Centaurea diffusa. [PRE-PRINT] bioRxivdoi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/005900
2. Turner K.G., Hufbauer R.A., Rieseberg L.H. 2014. Rapid evolution of an invasive
weed. New Phytologist 202: 309–321.
3. Lai, Z., Kane, N., Kozik, A., Hodgins, K., Dlugosch, K., Barker, M., Matvienko, M., Yu,
Q., Turner, K.G., Pearl, S., Bell, G., Zou, Y., Grassa, C., Guggisberg, A., Adams, K.,
Anderson, J., Horvath, D., Kesseli, R., Burke, J., Michelmore, R., and Rieseberg, L.H.
2012. Genomics of Compositae weeds: EST libraries, microarrays, and evidence of
introgression. American Journal of Botany. DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1100313.
4. Mohr, G., Del Campo, M., Turner, K.G., Gilman, B., Wolf, R., and Lambowitz, A.M.
2011. High-Throughput Genetic Identification of Functionally Important Regions of the
Yeast DEAD-Box Protein Mss116p. Journal of Molecular Biology 413: 952–972. DOI:
10.1016/j.jmb.2011.09.015
5. Gross, B.L., Turner, K.G., and Rieseberg, L.H. 2007. Selective sweeps in the homoploid
hybrid species Helianthus deserticola: Evolution in concert across populations and across
origins. Molecular Ecology. 16: 5246-5258. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03574.x
6. Barber, J.C., Francisco-Ortega, J., Santos-Guerra, A., Turner, K.G., and Jansen, R.K.
2002. Origin of Macaronesian Sideritis L. (Lamioideae: Lamiaceae) inferred from
nuclear and chloroplast sequence datasets. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 23:
293 - 306.
Science Communication and Education Experience:
 Co-designer of Plague of Species (http://www.plagueofspecies.com/), an app-style game
about invasinve species and evolution, with game designer Elizabeth Steward
 Author of www.AlienPlantation.com, science blog (Dec 2011 – present)
o Focused on ethnobotany, domestication, invasive species, and evolutionary
ecology; student guest posts, winner of ScienceSeeker award 2013
 Teaching assistant/lecturer for UBC BIOL 343: Plants and People
o Ethno- and economic botany for 3rd-yr science and non-science undergrads
 Active professional twitter account, @KTInvasion, covering invasion biology and
ethnobotany
 Price, S., Turner, K.G. 2005. Fighting the Invasion: Salt Cedar at Cibola National
Wildlife Refuge. US Fish and Wildlife, Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, pamphlet.
Presentations (awarded or invited):
1. Turner, K.G., Freville, H., Hufbauer, R.A., and Rieseber, L.H. 2012. Invasive weed
demonstrates phenotypic differentiation between ranges in multiple common gardens.
Oral presentation in Organized Oral Session 15 (Contemporary evolution amid the
human enterprise: New insights into the fates of populations and communities) at
Ecological Society of America 2012 Conference, in Portland, Oregon, Aug 7, 2012.
2. Turner, K.G., Tian A., Zoubarev, A., Ch’ng, C., Hodgins, K.A. 2012. Gene expression
evolution between ranges in an invasive weed. Poster presentation at Evo-Wibo 2012
Conference in Port Townsend, Washington, April 21, 2012. Received poster award.
3. Turner, K.G., Tian A., Zoubarev, A., Ch’ng, C., Hodgins, K.A. 2012. Gene expression
evolution between ranges in an invasive weed. Poster presentation at the UBC Botany
Graduate Student Symposium, Vancouver, BC, April 5, 2012. Received first place poster
award.
4. Turner, K.G. 2011. Evolution of invasiveness in Diffuse Knapweed. Invited oral
presentation to the Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive at the Centre National
de la Recherche Scientifique, Montpellier, France, June 10, 2011.
5. Turner, K.G., Imhoff, V., McDermott, J.M., Linder, C.R. 2004. Adaptive evolution of
seed oil composition in Helianthus annuus: seed performance. Poster presentation at the
international Evolution 2004 Conference. Travel grant.
Selected Research Experience:
Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Dr. Alan Lambowitz, UT, Austin
Science Research Associate I
Aug ’07 – Aug ‘08
 Studied intron splicing factor identity, structure, and function in yeast mitochondria
Biology Dept., Dr. Loren Rieseberg, Indiana University, Bloomington
Research Associate/Lab Manager
 Genotype, sequence, and RNA studies of sunflowers
July ’06 – Aug ‘07
Leon River Restoration Project, Texas A&M University, Gatesville, Texas
Field Biologist/Technician
March’06 - July ‘06
 Surveyed bird populations for community ecology in two endangered species
Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, USFWS, Cibola, Arizona
AmeriCorps Intern
Sept ’05 – Dec ‘05
 Salt cedar eradication and outreach as part of invasive management project
Integrative Biology Dept., Dr. C. Randal Linder, UT Austin
Undergraduate Research Assistant
May ‘02 – Sept ‘02, July ’03 – Sept ‘05
 Studies of seed oil composition and phylogenetics of sunflowers
Integrative Biology Dept., Dr. Robert K. Jansen, UT Austin
Research Assistant
Aug ‘99 – Jan ‘00
 Researched plant systematics and evolution (Lamiaceae and Asteraceae)