As a research assistant, Emily assesses whether arboreta seed collections adequately safeguard the genetic diversity of wild populations of rare taxa.

Emily is primarily focused on conserving plants using multifaceted approaches, including genetic analysis, examining ex situ collections, and modeling ecological niches.

While attaining her master’s degree, she determined that restoration seed stocks collected by the Bureau of Land Management were genetically diverse enough to establish healthy restoration populations. She also identified the ecological niches of multiple rare varieties of the widespread species sulfur-flower buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum).