May Roberts, Ph.D.

As the Plant Genomics Lab Manager, May supports our genomics lab scientists, gathering and analyzing the vast amount of information found in plants’ DNA.

May’s genomic techniques help the Garden answer key conservation questions like, “Is this a new and rare species or a member of a widespread and abundant one?” and “Which species should be used in restoration efforts of a particular place?” 

In the past, May mainly worked underwater in coral reef systems across the Indo-Pacific, where her research interests spanned a variety of topics from the evolutionary history and population genomics of fishes, the wisdom in the traditional management of fisheries in the Pacific, and biogeography of fish and coral communities in the Red Sea. She earned her doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from UC Santa Cruz, her master’s from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and her bachelor’s degree from UC Davis.