Corlett Wood

Corlett Wood is Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences. She holds a PhD in Biology from University of Virginia (2015) and BA in English Literature from Swarthmore College (2008), with postdoctoral training at University of Toronto. Her research investigates the evolution, ecology, and genetics of species interactions in plant root microbiomes.

The Wood Lab studies how genetic pleiotropy influences mutualistic and parasitic interactions using Medicago plants and their microbial symbionts. Research combines fieldwork, greenhouse experiments, and genomics to examine how shared genetic pathways impact host adaptation. Current projects investigate genetic tradeoffs between mutualism and parasitism, context-dependent trait expression, and community assembly processes.

Field research occurs at University of Pittsburgh's Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology, University of Virginia's Mountain Lake Biological Station, and University of Toronto's Koffler Scientific Reserve. Professor Wood received the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship (2018) and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2010-2013), and directs the International Area Studies/Global Studies program.

Honors and Awards:

• Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship (2018)
• Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Postdoctoral Fellow (2016-2018)
• Andrew Fleming Prize in Biology (2016)
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2010-2013)