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 Sonal Gupta
Graduate Student
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Michigan
Posted 1-26-21

Twitter Handle: ;@gsonal_gupta

Strolling through a garden or trail, have you ever been surprised by the diversity of plants, especially the remarkable spectrum of leaf shape? Sonal is a graduate student at the University of Michigan, investigating the underlying forces driving the diversity of leaf shape. She found that leaf shape in sweetpotato is primarily an inherited trait (controlled mainly by the genetics of the plant) and is influenced the environment to a lesser extent. She is further investigating whether the plant physiology and the yield is related and if so, what is the exact relationship. Through her dissertation, she hopes to understand the physiological and the molecular mechanisms driving adaptation in plants.

Apart from Science, Sonal is deeply passionate about experimenting with international cuisines, doodling and growing plants. Interestingly, she got introduced to the Turkish culture while watching a series last December, and has been learning Turkish ever since and hope to visit Turkey soon.

 

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