EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
2020 Dutch University Teaching Qualification, Maastricht University
2018 Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration, North Carolina Botanical Garden
2017 Certificate in College Teaching, Duke University
2017 Ph.D., Department of Biology, Duke University
2012 B.A. Biology, Lewis & Clark College, minor in Classical Studies
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
2024- Postdoctoral Fellow, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo
2019-2024 Docent (Lecturer), Maastricht Science Programme, Maastricht University
2017-2019 Postdoctoral Associate, Li Laboratory, Boyce Thompson Institute
PUBLICATIONS
Nelson, Jessica and Duncan Hauser. (2025). Synergy and interference in community interactions of fungal endophytes in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. Symbiosis. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13199-025-01070-1.
Adamakis, I. D. S., Sotiriou, P., Ntanou, N., Nelson, J. M., & Giannoutsou, E. (2025). Tissue-Specific Differential Distribution of Cell Wall Epitopes in Sphagnum compactum and Marchantia polymorpha. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(8), 3602. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26083602.
Chloé Beaulieu, Cyril Libourel, Duchesse Lacourt Mbadinga Zamar,..., Jessica M. Nelson,..., & Pierre-Marc Delaux. (2025). The Marchantia polymorpha pangenome reveals ancient mechanisms of plant adaptation to the environment. Nature Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-024-02071-4.
Schafran, P., Hauser, D.A., Nelson, J.M. et al. (2025) Pan-phylum genomes of hornworts reveal conserved autosomes but dynamic accessory and sex chromosomes. Nature Plants. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-024-01883-w.
Lawrie, N.S., Cuetos, N.M., Sini, F., Salam, G.A., Ding, H., Vancolen, A., Nelson, J.M., Erkens, R.H. and Perversi, G. (2023). Systematic review on raphide morphotype calcium oxalate crystals in angiosperms. AoB Plants. 15(4): plad031.
Chen, Ko-Hsuan and Jessica Nelson. (2022). A scoping review of bryophyte microbiota: diverse microbial communities in small plant packages. Journal of Experimental Botany. 73(13): 4496-4513.
Robison, Tanner, Jessica M. Nelson, Duncan A. Hauser, Louise A. Lewis, and Fay-Wei Li. (2022). Dynamic plastid and mitochondrial genomes in Chaetopeltidales (Chlorophyceae) and characterization of a new chlorophyte taxon. American Journal of Botany. 109(6): 939-951.
Yang, H. P., Wenzel, M., Hauser, D. A., Nelson, J. M., Xu, X., Eliáš, M., & Li, F. W. (2021). Monodopsis and Vischeria genomes shed new light on the biology of eustigmatophyte algae. Genome biology and evolution, 13(11), evab233.
Nelson, Jessica, Duncan Hauser, and Fay-Wei Li. 2021. The diversity and community structure of symbiotic cyanobacteria in hornworts inferred from long‐read amplicon sequencing. American Journal of Botany 108(9): 1–14.
Rahmatpour, N., Hauser, D. A., Nelson, J. M., Chen, P. Y., Ho, M. Y., & Li, F. W. (2021). A novel thylakoid-less isolate fills a billion-year gap in the evolution of Cyanobacteria. Current Biology.
Nelson, Jessica, Duncan Hauser, José A Gudiño Yessenia A. Guadalupe, John C. Meeks, Noris Salazar, Juan Carlos Villarreal, and Fay-Wei Li. (2019). Complete genomes of symbiotic cyanobacteria clarify the evolution of Vanadium-nitrogenase. Genome Biology and Evolution. 11(7), 1959-1964.
Nelson, Jessica and A. Jonathan Shaw. (2019). Exploring the natural microbiome of the model liverwort: fungal endophyte diversity in Marchantia polymorpha L. Symbiosis: 1-15.
Nelson, Jessica M., Duncan A. Hauser, Rosemary Hinson, and A. Jonathan Shaw. (2018). A novel experimental system using the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha L. and its fungal endophytes reveals diverse and context-dependent effects. New Phytologist 218: 1217-1232.
Bonito, Gregory, Hannah Reynolds, Michael S. Robeson II, Jessica Nelson, Brendan P. Hodkinson, Gerald Tuskan, Christopher W. Schadt, and Rytas Vilgalys. (2014). Plant host and soil origin influence fungal and bacterial assemblages in the roots of woody plants. Molecular Ecology 23: 3356-3370.
TEACHING
2019-2024 Lecturer at Maastricht Science Programme, Courses: General Botany (BIO2003), Exploring the World of Plants (PRA2011), Plant Physiology and Microbiomes (PRA3023), Microbiome Analysis (PRA3503), Natural Science Illustration (PRA2019), Introduction to Natural Sciences: Biology (BIO1101), Ecology (BIO2002)
2014 Co-instructor for General Microbiology (BIO 212), Duke University
2013-2017 Graduate teaching assistant for Duke University Biology Department, Courses: Molecular Biology (BIO 201), Organismal Evolution (BIO 207), Biogeochemisty (BIO 564), General Microbiology (BIO212)
MENTORING
2020-2024 Research mentor for bachelor thesis projects, Maastricht Science Programme
2019-2020 Research mentor for Zuyd Hogeschool intern
2018 Research mentor for summer Research Experience for Undergraduates student and high school intern, Li Lab, Boyce Thompson Institute
2015-2017 Research mentor for two undergraduate senior honours thesis students, Shaw Lab, Duke University
2014-2017 Research mentor for six undergraduate and high school students, Shaw Lab, Duke University
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2025 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship, Horizon Europe, European Commission
2024 Peder Sather Grant, Peder Sather Center for Advanced Study, University of California Berkley ($25,000)
2016 Teaching Assistant Award, Department of Biology, Duke University ($300)
2016 Summer Research Fellowship, Duke Graduate School ($5,500)
2015 Summer Research Fellowship, Duke Graduate School ($5,500)
2015 Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, National Science Foundation ($20,658)
2015 Sigma Xi Matching Grant, Duke Graduate School ($400)
2015 Sigma Xi Grant in Aid of Research ($400)
2014 Anderson and Crum Award, American Bryological and Lichenological Society ($500)
2013 Duke Biology Grant in Aid of Research, Department of Biology, Duke University ($1000)
2013 Highlands Biological Station Grant in Aid of Research ($700)
INVITED TALKS
Nelson, Jessica (2018). Building a plant-fungal interaction model with the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales. June 18. Toulouse, France.
Nelson, Jessica (2015). Interactions of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha with its fungal endophytes. American Bryological and Lichenological Society symposium at the Botanical Society of America Conference. July 27-29. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION
Nelson, Jessica. (2024). Testing interactions in fungal endophyte communities of the model liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. Poster at the International Botanical Congress. 21-27 July. Madrid, Spain.
Nelson, Jessica, Jasmijn Hofman, Wen-Hong Wang, Chia-An Cho, and Ko-Hsuan Chen. (2022). Bryophyte Microbiota: A scoping review of diversity & A preliminary survey of eukaryotic algal symbionts. Poster at the International Symbiosis Society Congress. 15-29 July 2022. Lyon, France.
Nelson, Jessica and Imran Sadović (2022). Bryophyte diversity in urban and mining areas: a case study in Maastricht. Talk at the Conference of European Committee for Conservation of Bryophytes. May 24-27. Zagreb, Croatia.
Livraghi, Samuele and Jessica Nelson (2022). A comparative analysis of the effects of heavy metals on the liverworts Lunularia cruciata and Marchantia polymorpha. Poster at the Conference of European Committee for Conservation of Bryophytes. May 24-27. Zagreb, Croatia.
Nelson, Jessica and Miguel Calderon (2021). Diverse outcomes of interactions between pairs of fungal endophytes in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. Poster presented at the online conference “Bryophytes, lichens, and northern ecosystems in a changing world.” July 6-9.
Nelson, Jessica, Duncan Hauser, and Fay-Wei Li (2018). Exploring bryophyte microbiomes: new insights from next generation amplicon sequencing in liverwort and hornwort hosts. Talk presented at the International Symbiosis Society Congress. July 15-20. Corvallis, Oregon, USA.
Nelson, Jessica, Guru Radhakrishnan, Fay-Wei Li (2018). Fungal symbioses in Marchantia: comparing transcriptomic responses of two Marchantia species to closely related fungi with contrasting effects. Poster presented at the European Molecular Biology Organization workshop on New shores in land plant evolution. June 20-23. Lisbon, Portugal.
Nelson, Jessica (2017). Interactions of the model liverwort Marchantia polymorpha with its fungal endophytes. Poster presented at the European Molecular Biology Organization Practical Course on Plant Microbiota. March 27-April 7. Köln, Germany.
Nelson, Jessica (2016). Fungal endophytes of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. Talk presented at the Mycological Society of America Conference. August 7-11. Berkeley, CA, USA.
Nelson, Jessica (2016). The liverwort Marchantia polymorpha as a model for fungal endophyte interactions. Talk presented at the European Molecular Biology Organization workshop on New model systems for early land plant evolution. June 22-24. Vienna, Austria.
SERVICE ACTIVITIES
2024 Manuscript Review for New Zealand Journal of Botany
2021 Garden Volunteer, Natuurtuinen Jekerdal, Centrum voor Natuur- en Milieueducatie, Maastricht
2021 Manuscript Review for Symbiosis, Botany
2021 Office of Academic Advising, Maastricht Science Programme
2020 Manuscript Review for New Phytologist
2018 Manuscript Review for Communicative & Integrative Biology
2018 Application Review Panel for National Science Foundation Plant Genome Research Internship Program, BTI
2018 Bryophyte activity leader for Plant Family Learning Festival, Cornell Botanic Gardens
OTHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
2024 Research Supervision Course, University of Oslo
2017 Plant Microbiota Practical Course, European Molecular Biology Organization
2015-2016 Preparing Future Faculty Program Fellow, Duke University
2013 Writing from the Reader’s Perspective Workshop, Duke University
2013 Bryophyte Identification Workshop, Highlands Biological Station
2013 Bryophilous Fungi Workshop, Eagle Hill Institute
2013 Training in bryophyte sterile culturing, Southern Illinois University
SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP
International Association of Bryologists
International Symbiosis Society