Department of Forestry Forest Genetics Lab

Principal Investigator

Research Staff

Graduate Students

Raju is interested in understanding adaptive mechanisms in forest populations under a changing environment, with a focus on adopting dendrogenomic approaches to study genetic diversity, quantitative traits, and identifying genomic signatures that shape the resilience and adaptability of white spruce populations in Alaska.  

Prior to joining the lab, Raju conducted research on dendroclimatology and subalpine forest dynamics.

Raju holds an MS in Environmental Science from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu Nepal, an M2 from AgroParisTech, Nancy, France, and an MS in Environmental Science from California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, California.

Mitchell is a PhD student in the Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology program where he studies population genomics, local adaptation, and genomic offset models for assisted migration in eastern pine species and American chestnut (Castanea dentata). 

Prior to entering the PhD program, Mitchell completed an MS in the lab investigating the quantitative genomics of beech bark disease resistance in American beech (Fagus grandifolia). 

Mitchell previously worked as an FIA research associate with the Colorado State Forest Service in Gunnison, CO and before that completed a BS in Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. 

Bhuwan’s research at MSU will be focused on the USDA funded A GIFT SEED Project: Accelerated Genetic Improvement of Fir Through Sequencing, Economics, Extension, and Diagnostics, a project led by North Carolina State University. Bhuwan will explore patterns of drought tolerance and characterization of physiological responses to drought stress along with the underlying genomic architecture of drought tolerance.

Before joining MSU for the dual PhD program in Forestry | Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Bhuwan received a BS in Forestry from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, and an MS in Environmental Studies from Ohio University, where he worked on the ecophysiology of White oaks, as part of the White Oak Genetics and Tree Improvement Program (WOGTIP).