Quinn Evans '25 is a Research Associate in the Gong Lab at the University of California, Berkeley,

Quinn Evans is a Research Associate in the Gong Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studies the developmental genetics of floral nectaries in Aquilegia and Mimulus. His work explores questions at the intersection of plant development, evolution, and environmental adaptation.

At Yale, Quinn earned a BS in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Biodiversity and Conservation. His senior essay, “Phenotypic Differentiation, Environmental Adaptation, and the Genetic Architecture of Divergence Between Mimulus glaucescens and Mimulus guttatus,” examined genetic structure, ecological adaptation, and species identity in California monkeyflowers. Advised by Dr. Jenn Coughlan, Quinn conducted a large quantitative trait locus (QTL) experiment which utilized natural variation in the reproductive and anatomical traits of these closely related species and their hybrids to understand how ecological and genetic divergence develop.

His research received the Gaylord Donnelley Prize, awarded by Environmental Studies faculty for distinguished interdisciplinary scholarship.

Quinn’s academic and professional journey demonstrates how the Biodiversity and Conservation concentration prepares students to investigate fundamental questions in ecology and evolution through original research, scientific inquiry, and hands-on laboratory experience.