Jill Hamilton
Director of the Schatz Center for Tree Molecular Genetics; Associate Professor

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323 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA - She/Her
- jvh6349@psu.edu
Research Summary
Genomic basis of climate adaptation, conservation, and restoration genetics.
Huck Graduate Students
Huck Affiliations
Links
Most Recent Publications
Climate and habitat type interact to influence contemporary dispersal potential in Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)
Sullivan, Zoe Portlas, Kelsey Jaeger, Mercedes Hoffner, Jill Hamilton, Ecology and Evolution on p. e11231
Forecasting hotspots of grassland suitability for restoration under climate change
Santosh Rana, Jessica Lindstrom, Melissa Lehrer, Marissa Ahlering, Jill Hamilton, Biological Conservation on p. 110988
Genomic insights into hybrid zone formation: The role of climate, landscape, and demography in the emergence of a novel hybrid lineage
Constance E. Bolte, Tommy Phannareth, Michelle Zavala-Paez, Brianna N. Sutara, Muhammed F. Can, Matthew C. Fitzpatrick, Jason A. Holliday, Stephen R. Keller, Jill A. Hamilton, 2024, Molecular Ecology
Climate and habitat type interact to influence contemporary dispersal potential in Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)
Lauren L. Sullivan, Zoe M. Portlas, Kelsey M. Jaeger, Mercedes Hoffner, Jill A. Hamilton, 2024, Ecology and Evolution
Leveraging whole-genome sequencing to estimate telomere length in plants
Michelle Zavala-Paez, Jason Holliday, Jill A. Hamilton, 2024, Molecular Ecology Notes
Chasing the fitness optimum: temporal variation in the genetic and environmental expression of life-history traits for a perennial plant
Mason W. Kulbaba, Zebadiah Yoko, Jill A. Hamilton, 2023, Annals of Botany on p. 1191-1204
Seed sourcing for climate-resilient grasslands: The role of seed source diversity during early restoration establishment
Jessica Lindstrom, Marissa Ahlering, Jill Hamilton, 2023, Ecology and Evolution
Preserving range-wide genetic diversity of Fraxinus nigra
Melissa Lehrer, Jill Hamilton, 2023, Tree Seed Working Group News Bulletin, Canadian Forest Genetics Association on p. 17-21
Landscape transcriptomics as a tool for addressing global change effects across diverse species
Jason Keagy, Chloe P. Drummond, Kadeem J. Gilbert, Christina M. Grozinger, Jill Hamilton, Heather M. Hines, Jesse Lasky, Cheryl A. Logan, Ruairidh Sawers, Tyler Wagner, 2023, Molecular Ecology Notes
Environmental contributions to the evolution of trait differences in Geum triflorum: Implications for restoration
Kate Volk, Joseph Braasch, Marissa Ahlering, Jill A. Hamilton, 2022, American Journal of Botany on p. 1822-1837
Most-Cited Papers
Adaptive introgression as a resource for management and genetic conservation in a changing climate
Jill A. Hamilton, Joshua M. Miller, 2016, Conservation Biology on p. 33-41
Mixing it up: The role of hybridization in forest management and conservation under climate change
Jasmine K. Janes, Jill A. Hamilton, 2017, Forests
The joint influence of photoperiod and temperature during growth cessation and development of dormancy in white spruce (Picea glauca)
Jill A. Hamilton, Walid El Kayal, Ashley T. Hart, Daniel E. Runcie, Adriana Arango-Velez, Janice E.K. Cooke, 2016, Tree Physiology on p. 1432-1448
The role of climate adaptation in colonization success in Arabidopsis thaliana
Jill A. Hamilton, Miki Okada, Tonia Korves, Johanna Schmitt, 2015, Molecular Ecology on p. 2253-2263
Fine-scale environmental variation contributes to introgression in a three-species spruce hybrid complex
Jill A. Hamilton, Amanda R. De la Torre, Sally N. Aitken, 2015, Tree Genetics and Genomes
Genetic conservation and management of the California endemic, Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana Parry): Implications of genetic rescue in a genetically depauperate species
Jill A. Hamilton, Raphaël Royauté, Jessica W. Wright, Paul Hodgskiss, F. Thomas Ledig, 2017, Ecology and Evolution on p. 7370-7381
The relevance of pedigrees in the conservation genomics era
Stephanie J. Galla, Liz Brown, Yvette Couch-Lewis Ngāi Tahu Te Hapū O Ngāti Wheke Ngāti Waewae, Ilina Cubrinovska, Daryl Eason, Rebecca M. Gooley, Jill A. Hamilton, Julie A. Heath, Samantha S. Hauser, Emily K. Latch, Marjorie D. Matocq, Anne Richardson, Jana R. Wold, Carolyn J. Hogg, Anna W. Santure, Tammy E. Steeves, 2022, Molecular Ecology on p. 41-54
Evidence for population differentiation among Jeffrey and Ponderosa pines in survival, growth and phenology
Alejandra Martínez-Berdeja, Jill A. Hamilton, Aurore Bontemps, Johanna Schmitt, Jessica W. Wright, 2019, Forest Ecology and Management on p. 40-48
Bibliometric Analysis of the Structure and Evolution of Research on Assisted Migration
Lahcen Benomar, Raed Elferjani, Jill Hamilton, Greg A. O’Neill, Said Echchakoui, Yves Bergeron, Mebarek Lamara, 2022, Current Forestry Reports on p. 199-213
One hundred years into the study of ecotypes, new advances are being made through large-scale field experiments in perennial plant systems
Acer VanWallendael, David B. Lowry, Jill A. Hamilton, 2022, Current Opinion in Plant Biology
News Articles Featuring Jill Hamilton
Jan 26, 2025
Ash tree variability may offer restoration path post-beetle decimation
Researchers at Penn State are working with the U.S. Forest Service and other partners to identify and develop ash trees genetically able to withstand wood-boring beetles' onslaught and strategize how to restore ash to forests.
Full Article
Jan 08, 2025
Ash tree variability may offer restoration path post-beetle decimation
Researchers found that genetic diversity is key to breeding ash trees resistant to emerald ash borers and rising temperatures.
Full Article
Aug 21, 2023
Cover crops project provides fertile ground for USDA graduate fellows
Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences graduate students received more predoctoral fellowships from the U.S. Department of Agriculture than any other institution over the last five years.
Full Article
Jul 20, 2022
Torrey pine genetic research may benefit efforts to save chestnut, ash trees
A new genomic study of the rarest pine tree in the world, the Torrey pine, aimed at bolstering the case for a genetic rescue of the species barely surviving in the western U.S., revealed the complexity and risk associated with the endeavor. However, a tree geneticist at Penn State who oversaw the research suggests it may benefit efforts she is involved in to save other species in the East.
Full Article
Feb 08, 2022
Geneticists close to grasping how plant communities may adapt to climate change
A century after scientists first noted that the environment contributes to the evolution of adaptive differences among plant populations, scientists are on the verge of figuring out how that adaptation happens — by combining results from huge “common garden” experiments with genomic sequencing.
Full Article