Sarah Yakimowski

Sarah Yakimowski is an Assistant Professor of Evolutionary Ecology at the Department of Biology, Queen's University. Her research focuses on plant evolution in response to environmental stress, particularly examining ecological and genetic factors influencing range expansion, adaptation, and evolutionary limits. She employs multidisciplinary approaches including field studies, glasshouse experiments, genomic analysis, and experimental selection to address these questions.

Her teaching emphasizes understanding historical and contemporary population variation through evolutionary mechanisms, using both natural and human-impacted environments. Courses foster critical thinking, experimental design, data science, and communication in a collaborative, inclusive environment.

Research interests span evolutionary ecology, plant biology (especially reproductive strategies like pollination and clonality), and population genetics. Recent work highlights herbicide resistance mechanisms in weeds, genetic diversity in aquatic plants, and hybridization impacts on gene content and disease resistance in sunflowers.

Publications reveal a strong focus on adaptation to environmental stressors (e.g., herbicides, salt tolerance), reproductive system evolution, and hybridization outcomes. Despite prolific output, no scientific awards are explicitly mentioned. Advising involvement and grant details are not provided in available texts.

Her research lab likely utilizes Queen's University's Biosciences Complex facilities to conduct fieldwork and genomic studies. Ongoing projects likely explore ecological genetics of marginal populations and anthropogenic impacts on plant evolution.