Research in the Wickett lab makes use of high-throughput (next generation) DNA sequencing and bioinformatics to gain insight into how genome and gene-family diversification is related to the evolution of morphological, ecological, and molecular novelty in plants. In particular, we are currently sequencing genomes and transcriptomes to understand how genomic processes such as polyploidy, gene duplication, and horizontal gene transfer may be associated with the diversification of species and functions. Potential projects will involve the application of bioinformatics to the sequencing of genomes from 1) the flowering plant Oenothera harringtonii in order to uncover the genetic basis of scent differentiation, 2) the moss Climacium dendroides to understand genomic changes associated with major shifts in reproductive strategies, and 3) multiple diatom species to uncover how horizontal gene transfer has affected the diversification of this group of phytoplankton.