Jill Hamilton

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

Jill Hamilton

Research Summary

Genomic basis of climate adaptation, conservation, and restoration genetics.

Huck Graduate Students

Huck Affiliations

Links

Most Recent Publications

Genetic Basis of Reproductive Isolation in Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana Parry): Insights From Hybridization and Adaptation

Lionel N. Di Santo, Alayna Mead, Jessica W. Wright, Jill A. Hamilton, 2025, Evolutionary Applications

Forecasting hotspots of climatic suitability for grassland restoration under climate change in North America

Santosh Kumar Rana, Jessica Lindstrom, Melissa A. Lehrer, Marissa Ahlering, Jill Hamilton, 2025, Biological Conservation

Genomics-Driven Monitoring of Fraxinus latifolia (Oregon Ash) to Inform Conservation and EAB-Resistance Breeding

Anthony E. Melton, Trevor M. Faske, Richard A. Sniezko, Tim Thibault, Wyatt Williams, Thomas Parchman, Jill A. Hamilton, 2025, Molecular Ecology

Redlisting genetics: towards inclusion of genetic data in IUCN Red List assessments

Chloee McLaughlin, Chauncy Hinshaw, Stephania Sandoval-Arango, Michelle Zavala-Paez, Jill Hamilton, 2025, Conservation Genetics on p. 213-223

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

Climate and habitat type interact to influence contemporary dispersal potential in Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)

Sullivan, Zoe Portlas, Kelsey Jaeger, Mercedes Hoffner, Jill Hamilton, 2024, Ecology and Evolution on p. e11231

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

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

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

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

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