I'm a geneticist and bioinformatician. In my extensive experience with non-model systems, I've had a lot of practice adapting bioinformatic tools to solve problems in creative ways. Right now, I'm a postdoctoral fellow in the Baucom Lab at the University of Michigan, and secondarily affiliated with the Wright Lab at the University of Toronto.

Below, you can learn more about the skills this has given me, see the publications that have resulted, find a résumé or contact info, scroll through some of my repositories, and even see what I do for fun.

Thanks for stopping by!

As a bioinformatician, I'm comfortable using a variety of approaches and languages. Conceptually, I apply statistical genetics and data science approaches to solve problems. I use R, Python, and a variety of specialized genetics software including the GATK, samtools, and many others. I've worked in several Linux-based high-performance computing (HPC) environments with different queueing systems and structures. I have experience with variant-calling and large-scale genomic analyses with multiple sequencing methods and approaches, including RNAseq, reduced-representation, and long reads.

As a geneticist, I use the tools of quantitative and population genetics to relate phenotypes and genotypes and make inferences about how evolution shapes genomic features. I have applied these tools to several non-model plant systems, and enjoy translating my skills to new contacts.

Outside of technical skills, I'm committed to scientific communication. When working as a publicly funded scientist, I took my responsibility to the general public seriously and worked hard to hone my oral and written communication skills. These efforts have paid off in the variety of grants I've received (see my CV for details). I'm comfortable managing complex self-directed projects, but I also enjoy working in teams.

I've been fortunate to collaborate with many wonderful colleagues, leading to publications in several high-profile journals. I have shared primary authorship several times, and particularly appreciate the opportunities this afforded for communication and teamwork leading to stronger science.

• Rifkin, J. L.,* Ostevik K. L.,* and M. D. Rausher. 2023. Complex cross incompatibility in morning glories is consistent with a role for mating system in plant speciation. Evolution https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpad086

• Beaudry, F. E. G., Rifkin, J. L., Peake, A. L., Kim, D., Jarvis-Cross, M., Barrett, S. C. H., and S. I. Wright. 2022. Effects of the neo-X chromosome on genomic signatures of hybridization in Rumex hastatulus. Molecular Ecology https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16496

• Rifkin, J. L., Hnatovska, S., Yuan, M., Sacchi, B. M., Choudhury, B. I., Gong, Y., Rastas, P., Barrett, S. C. H, and S. I. Wright. 2022. Recombination landscape dimorphism and sex chromosome evolution in the dioecious plant Rumex hastatulus. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 377(1850), 20210226. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.0226

• Liao, I. T., Rifkin, J. L., Cao, G., and M. D. Rausher. 2021. Modularity and selection of nectar traits in the evolution of the selfing syndrome in Ipomoea lacunosa (Convolvulaceae). New Phytologist 233(3), 1505-1519. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17863

• Rifkin, J. L., G. Cao, and M. D. Rausher. 2021. Genetic architecture of divergence: the selfing syndrome in Ipomoea lacunosa. American Journal of Botany 108(10), 2038-2054. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.1749

• Frazee, L., Rifkin, J. L., Maheepala, D., Grant, A-G., Litt, A., Kalisz, S., Wright, S., and R. Spigler. 2021. New genomic resources and comparative analyses reveal differences in floral gene expression in selfing and outcrossing Collinsia sister species. G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics 11(8). https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkab177

• Eserman, L.A., Sosef, M.S. M., Simão‐Bianchini, et al., including Rifkin, J. L. 2020. (2786) Proposal to change the conserved type of Ipomoea, nom. cons. (Convolvulaceae). Taxon 69(6), 1369-1371. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12400

• Beaudry, F.E.G.*, Rifkin, J. L.*, Barrett, S. C. H., and S. I. Wright. 2020. Evolutionary genomics of plant gametophyte selection. Plant Communications. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2020.100115

• Ostevik, K. L., Rifkin, J. L., Xia, H., and M. D. Rausher. Morning glory species co-occurrence is associated with asymmetrically decreased and cascading reproductive isolation. Evolution Letters https://doi.org/10.1101/767970

• Rifkin, J. L.*, Beaudry, F.E.G.*, Humphries, Z., Choudhury, B. I., Barrett, S. C. H., and S. I. Wright. 2020. Widespread recombination suppression facilitates plant sex chromosome evolution. Molecular Biology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.07.937490

• Rifkin, J. L., Liao, I. T., Castillo, A. C., and M. D. Rausher. 2019. Multiple aspects of the selfing syndrome of the morning glory Ipomoea lacunosa evolved in response to selection: A Qst-Fst comparison. Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5329

• Rifkin, J. L., Castillo, A. C., Liao, I. T., and M. D. Rausher. 2019. Gene flow, divergent selection and resistance to introgression in two species of morning glories (Ipomoea). Molecular Ecology, 28(7):1709-1729. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14945. Highlighted in Perspectives https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15048

• Rifkin, J. L., Nunn, C. L., and L.Z. Garamszegi. 2012. Do animals living in larger groups experience greater parasitism? A meta-analysis. The American Naturalist, 180(1), 70–82. doi:10.1086/666081

• Temeles, E. J., Miller, J. S., & J. L. Rifkin. 2010. Evolution of sexual dimorphism in bill size and shape of hermit hummingbirds (Phaethornithinae): a role for ecological causation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 365(1543), 1053–63. doi:10.1098/rstb.2009.0284

A recent résumé

Rifkin_resume_LF_October_2022.pdf

You can find me on LinkedIn and Mastodon, or email me at jlrifkin [at] umich.edu.

I've produced several repositories collecting code from papers I've worked on.

What's life without a little fun?

When I'm not at work, you can find me rock climbing at Basecamp in Toronto, volunteering with Not Far from the Tree, growing fruits and vegetables in my garden, reading SFF and nonfiction, and chasing my unruly cats off the table. I live in Toronto, and love it!