Hello! I am Chinedum Anajemba, a Ph.D. student in the Rothfels Lab.
I am broadly interested in studying the evolutionary history of polyploid genomes. This abrupt genomic process known as polyploidy creates a unique opportunity for the evolution of novelty. Despite their contribution to the diversity of life, the long-term evolutionary fate of polyploid complexes is still up for debate. So, I hope to use cutting-edge genomics and phylogenetics tools to shed more insight on the evolutionary history of polyploid complexes through studying fern polyploid lineages.
My background is in evolutionary genetics and molecular cytogenetics. I became very fascinated with learning about polyploidy during my final year at the University of Nigeria, where I completed my bachelor’s degree in Plant Science. As a result of this interest, I joined a project at the University of Silesia in Poland as a master’s student to research sub-genome positioning in allopolyploid grass species. Currently, I’m keen to investigate fern allopolyploid lineages because ferns offer an excellent system for studying the evolutionary history of polyploid complexes.