Grey Monroe

The Monroe Lab investigates the molecular and evolutionary forces shaping plant genomes — natural selection, mutation rate variation, DNA repair, chromosome biology, and somatic mutation in clonal and tissue-cultured plants. We integrate genomics, computational biology, and experimental approaches across systems ranging from wild Arabidopsis to perennial crops like pistachio and cassava.

By connecting the molecular machinery that determines where mutations land in the genome to the evolutionary outcomes that follow, our research addresses fundamental questions about the origin of adaptive variation and the persistence of populations, while informing the genomics of resilient, regenerative agriculture.