People
Dr. Eleinis Ávila-Lovera
Principal Investigator
Eleinis is a Biologist from Venezuela interested in the ecophysiology of plants from seasonally dry ecosystems and the role of stem photosynthesis in drought tolerance. Eleinis obtained her Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology from the University of California, Riverside, and held two postdoc positions before joining the University of Utah as an Assistant Professor. See full CV here. Eleinis is also the co-founder and one of the coordinators of the Red Latinoamericana de Ecofisiología Vegetal (link).
Dr. Oranys Marín
Postdoctoral Researcher
Oranys is a Biologist with a Ph.D. in Botany Science from Venezuela, specializing in Plant Physiological Ecology. His research focuses on understanding plant responses to environmental stress conditions. He has investigated how factors such as elevated CO2, water deficit, temperature, and flooding influence plant growth and development. Specifically, he studies the physiological and metabolic regulation of stressed plants. Currently, Oranys is working with desert plants that have green/photosynthetic stems, studying how changes in non-structural carbohydrates contribute to promoting drought resistance in these plants. He is deeply passionate about fieldwork and cherish quality time with his family.
Dr. Chinedu Eze
Postdoctoral Researcher
Chinedu (Nigeria) is trained as an agronomist, with specialization in pre-breeding. He obtained a masters in Plant Breeding and Genetics and a PhD in Climate Change and Agriculture. His research focuses on the response of plants to abiotic stresses, particularly elevated temperature and vapor pressure deficit. He was a Smithsonian Institution Postdoctoral Fellow in Panama and subsequently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Canada, before joining us in Utah. He is currently working on the thermotolerance of stem photosynthesis.
Osedipo Adegbeyeni
Second-year PhD student
Osedipo is a second year PhD student in the lab, and holds a BSc in Plant Science and Biotechnology from Federal University Oye Ekiti, Nigeria. His research involves water status regulation in plants with photosynthetic stems.
Vivian Gerstein
First-year PhD student
Vivian graduated with a BS in Plant Sciences and a BA in Environmental Studies with a Conservation Science and Policy emphasis from UC Santa Cruz. She joined the lab as a PhD student in Fall 2025. She’s fascinated by plant physiological and morphological responses to water stress and is excited to learn more!
Alex Vandendries
First-year PhD student
Alex received his BA in Biology from Reed College, where he studied the spatial and temporal variability of drought tolerance traits in mature conifers. He joined the lab as a PhD student in Fall 2025 and is interested in investigating the mechanisms by which stem photosynthesis contributes to xylem safety during drought. Outside of the lab, Alex enjoys exploring mountains and forests through a mix of climbing, running, and relaxing.
Ava Mitchell
Honors Biology Undergraduate Student
Ava is an undergraduate student from Raleigh, NC who is studying Biology here at the U. She is currently researching the anatomical and morphological trait characteristics in leaves and photosynthetic stems in both wet and dry conditions. Outside of the lab, she likes to climb, snowboard, and hike.
Alumni
Bri Rinn (2025)
Undergraduate Student. Earth and Envrironmental Science & Environmental and Sustainability Studies
Bri joined the lab in Summer 2025 and worked with us until Fall 2025. Her main project seeks to understand the phylogenetic effect on variation in stem photosynthetic traits in drought-tolerant plants.