Advanced Genomic Approaches, Jong Yoon Jeon Doctoral Defense

Please join us April 7th at 10:15 am to support Jong Yoon Jeon as he defends his dissertation "Advancing Genomic Approaches for Conservation of Threatened and Endangered Species". Jong Yoon's work explores how genomic tools can be better integrated into real-world conservation planning — from whole-genome sequencing and pangenomics to a fascinating case study on the Montezuma quail. We hope to see you at PFEN room 120 or online through zoom.

Genomics holds transformative potential for conservation biology, yet its application has been hindered by insufficient geographic integration, the absence of explicit genomic criteria for conservation status, and the specialized skillsets required for advanced approaches. This dissertation addresses these challenges through a series of conceptual, analytical, and empirical advances. A comprehensive review synthesizes how whole -genome sequencing and ecological niche modeling can be combined to characterize local adaptation, while a comparative analysis of mammals proposes a novel genomic criterion to complement traditional conservation rankings. Accessible pipelines for constructing pangenomes from affordable short -read data are developed and benchmarked. These advances culminate in a case study of the Montezuma quail, integrating pangenomics , local adaptation, and genomic conservation assessment —including climate -driven vulnerability projections. Collectively, this dissertation demonstrates how genomic data can be rigorously and effectively integrated into modern conservation science.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. J. Andrew DeWoody
Advisory Committee: Drs. Barny Dunning, Jessica Gurevitch, and Nina Therkildsen