Julia Adams was a PhD student in the Plant Biology program. She joined the laboratory in 2017 and focused on lichen diversity in desert ecosystems, including Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave desert region. She applied genomic approaches to characterize the diversity. Julia graduated in 2025 and is currently a part-time faculty at Cal State Dominguez-Hills.
Awards and Fellowships
- 2017 – UCR Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellowship
- 2017 – California Lichen Society education award- Molecular Barcoding the Lichens of Joshua Tree National Park from UCR Herbarium Specimens. ($1400)
- 2017 – Robert Lee Graduate Student Award – Joshua Tree National Park (Grant Program). Lichen Symbiont Diversity Changes Across Environmental Gradients in the Mojave Desert. ($4000)
- 2018-2021 – National Science Foundation, Graduate Research Fellowship Program. (3 years stipend and tuition support)