Julia Butler
M.Sc. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2024
B.A. in Biology, Oberlin College, 2019
Subsequently – Staff Geoscientist II at Environmental Standards, Inc. & Naturalist at Ijams Nature Center
Additional Links:
ResearchGate -
ORCID -
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Current CV
J. Butler Studio: Naturally Inspired Art
My Research: I am interested in bryology, phylogenetics, botany, and ecology. During my time at University of Tennessee I studied the relationships within and between aquatic subgroups of Fissidens mosses. These species are highly reduced morphologically making them extremely difficult to differentiate based on morphological characteristics alone. Through next generation sequencing (NGS) of herbarium specimen DNA and phylogenetic analysis, a greater understanding of the interspecific relationships between the aquatic taxa historically classified in Subgenus Octodiceras and Section Sarawakia was gained.
Outreach: I am active in the bryology community and have been leading moss walks since 2022 during the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Great Smoky Mountains and plan to continue to do so in the coming years. I also collaborated with GLOBAL (Global Consortium of Bryophytes and Lichens) project manager Miranda Zwingelberg to start a weekly herbarium transcription event that brings together community scientists to help the effort to transcribe and document the bryophyte specimens in the University of Tennessee Herbarium (TENN). Through this project, I also participated and led transcription working groups during WeDigBio (Worldwide Engagement for Digitizing Biocollections) events.
About Me: I am originally from Madison, Wisconsin where the green space and plethora of natural areas strongly influenced my curiosity for the outdoors and processes that surround us. When not at a lab bench or analyzing data, you can find me rock climbing, hiking, biking, and watercolor painting. My love for science extends into my art in which many of my pieces are botanical in nature.
