Hannah E. Marx, PhD (She/her)

Assistant Professor & Herbarium Director

I joined Cornell University in January 2025 where I am an Assistant Professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science and Director of the L. H. Bailey Hortorium Herbarium (BH).

Previously, I was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of New Mexico and Curator of the Herbarium at the Museum of Southwestern Biology.

My interest in research began while taking a plant systematics course taught by Dr. Richard Olmstead as an undergraduate at the University of Washington. My first project was to infer the molecular phylogeny of the plant family Verbenaceae, using chloroplast and nuclear sequence data.

Since then, I have worked as a lab technician, a field assistant surveying conifer encroachment into meadows, and participated in a variety of plant surveys and collecting trips. Through these experiences, I became fascinated with the diversity of muti-species assemblages in ecological communities. I received my PhD in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of Idaho in 2016, working with Dr. David Tank to disentangle diversity patterns in island systems using phylogenetic approaches.

International research collaborations introduced me to approaches for addressing ecological and evolutionary drivers of community phylogenetic diversity at macro-ecological scales. For my postdoctoral research I focused on finer levels of diversity, using functional genomics to decipher mechanisms that link genes to phenotypes in natural plant communities. 

Outside of the lab, I enjoy a variety of outdoor activities including backpacking, skiing, running, biking, and watching Zia (lab pup in training) explore the world. Continually botanizing, I love photographing plants on my adventures.

Graduate Students

Joseph Kleinkopf (he/him)

Phd candidate: Biology (Fall 2021—)

Website: https://jkleinkopf.github.io/index.html

I am a PhD student interested in the patterns and processes underlying the evolution of plants, specifically in alpine and island systems.

I previously earned my MS at Washington State University in the Roalson Lab using phylogenomics to better understand the diversification of Hawaiian Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae). At UNM, I am excited to work with phylogenetic tools to explore the plant biodiversity of alpine communities. Prior to arriving in Albuquerque, I taught science to middle school students in Olympia, WA. My experience as a teacher made clear the importance of science outreach, and I am interested in continuing to make science accessible and approachable for K-12 students.

Outside of science, I enjoy spending time outdoors and playing fetch with my dog Charlie.

Erik Ertsgaard (he/him/his)

Phd student: Plant biology (Fall 2026—)

Website: https://erikertsgaard.weebly.com/ 

I am a PhD student studying how alpine plants move and evolve. I am especially interested in using herbarium collections for interdisciplinary research and engaging with non-science communities.  

Previously, I was a Research Assistant at the University of Washington Herbarium (WTU), where I contributed to projects analyzing patterns in the Washington alpine and endemic flora. I also completed my undergraduate studies in Environmental Science at the University of Washington. I spent summers as a field botany technician, which included collecting alpine floristic data across the Cascade Mountains, locating rare plant populations at Mount Rainier National Park, and conducting habitat assessments in riparian areas of Oregon’s shrub-steppe.

In my free time, I enjoy reading and going on long walks.

Pups in Training

Zia Mays

Zia joined the lab in March, 2021. She loves sniffing and eating plants, meeting new people and new pups, and running after squirrels, lizards, and balls. She is looking forward to her first field season next year.

Lab Alumni

Elizabeth ("Lizzie") M. Lombardi (she/her)

Postdoctoral Fellow | 2022-2024

Currently an NSF Postdoc at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Website: https://elizabethlombardi.weebly.com/

email: elombard[at]d.umn.edu

Jared Meek (he/him)

Postdoctoral Associate | Fall 2025—2026

Herbarium Collections Manager, Bean Life Science Museum and Brigham Young University.

email: Jared.Meek2[at]byu.edu

Bryana Olmeda (they/them)

Graduate Student (UNM) | 2022—2025

MS Biology, May 2025

Thesis: A floristic study of the vascular flora of the Brokeoff Mountains, southcentral New Mexico

Erin Berkowitz (she/her)

Graduate Student (UNM) | 2022—2024

MS Museum Studies, May 2024

Thesis: Uncovering Over 150 Years of Herbarium Specimen Data to Examine the Impacts of Climate Change on Alpine Plant Phenology in the Southern Rocky Mountains

Dylan Sheng (he/him)

Lab Technician | Summer 2025—Summer 2026

Currently a Graduate student, University of Michigan Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB), Advisor: Thais Vasconcelos.

email: dylsheng[at]umich.edu

Jeremiah Westerman (he/him)

Undergraduate | Summer 2022—2024

UNM Biology, Honors, May 2024

Thesis: Investigating the Potential Effect of Pollinators on the Alpine Plant Diversity of the Southern Rocky Mountains: A Community Phylogenetic Approach

Prospective Students & Postdocs

Contact Dr. Marx (hem73[at]cornell[dot]edu) with inquiries about positions in the lab.