Santosh Rana Magar

Bio

Assistant Professor Dr. Santosh Kumar Rana Magar earned his Ph.D. in Botany with a specialization in plant molecular and evolutionary biology. He has research and professional experience in Asia and North America, focusing on plant ecology, taxonomy, and conservation.
Before joining Youngstown State University, Dr. Magar worked as a postdoctoral scholar at The Pennsylvania State University and as a postdoctoral research associate at Arkansas State University. His work has combined herbarium-based taxonomy, ecological modeling, and genomic approaches to understand plant adaptation, biodiversity, and invasion dynamics.

Research Interests

Dr. Magar’s research lies at the intersection of plant ecology, evolution, and conservation. He focuses on invasion biology, conservation genomics, and the evolutionary processes that shape biodiversity across native and non-native ranges. His work integrates molecular tools, population genomics, transcriptomics, and ecological niche modeling to investigate plant adaptation, speciation, and genomic responses to climate change. He has studied threatened Himalayan medicinal plants, grassland and federal noxious weed wild sugarcane in the United States, and high-altitude alpine taxa, with the goal of linking fundamental evolutionary insights to applied conservation and management.

Teaching Interests

Dr. Magar currently teaches Advanced Molecular Genetics (BIOL6964), Field Botany (BIOL 3762/BIOL 3762L; Fall), Plant Diversity (BIOL 3740/ BIOL 3740L; Spring), and Problems in Botany (BIOL 4850; F/S semester), and is committed to providing students with experiential, field-based learning opportunities. His broader teaching interests include plant ecology, plant diversity, invasion biology, and evolutionary biology. He emphasizes active learning, scientific inquiry, and connecting classroom concepts with field and laboratory experiences.

2020

Ph D, Botany

Kunming Institute of Botany, CAS
2020

Ph D, Botany

Kunming Institute of Botany

Dissertation/Thesis Title — "Phylogeographic study on the Incarvillea arguta concurrently discussing biogeographic evolution on the genus Incarvillea"
2015

MS, Botany

Tribhuvan University

Dissertation/Thesis Title — "Species Distribution and Ecological Niche Modelling of Alnus Species in Nepal"
2014

MS, Botany

University Campus, Tribhuvan University
2010

BS, Botany

Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University
2010

BS, Botany

Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University

2022

Chinese Academy of Sciences

President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI)
2020

University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

Excellent International Graduate
2019

University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

Excellent International Student

2025 -

Youngstown State University

Assistant Professor/Curator of Carl F Chuey Herbarium
2024 - 2025

Arkansas State University

Postdoctoral Research Associate
2024 - 2025

Arkansas State University

Postdoctoral Research Associate
2022 - 2024

Pennsylvania State University

Postdoctoral Scholar
2022 - 2024

Pennsylvania State University

Postdoctoral Research Scholar
2020 - 2022

Kunming Institute of Botany

Postdoctoral Fellow

2025 - present

Other

2026

"Native and introduced plants in a managed campus landscape: habitat associations, functional overlap, and taxonomic patterns."

S. Rana, G. Davenport, S. Awad, D. Webb, S. Esposito, C. Nguyen, I. Renne
Ecology and Evolution, volume 16, p. e74348
2026

"Industrial floristic inventories valuable for resolving taxonomic ambiguity? A test case in the genus Glandularia: Verbenaceae."

S. Rana, R. Lucardi, T. Long, T. Marsico
Systematic Botany, volume NA
2026

"Decoding the genomic basis of adaptive capacity and vulnerability in the high-altitude Saussurea obvallata complex."

H. Rana, S. Rana Magar, J. Landis, D. Luo, H. Sun
Plant Diversity, volume 48, p. 474–486
2025

"Genomic signatures of habitat isolation and paleo-climate unveil the “island-like” pattern in the glasshouse plant Rheum nobile."

H. Rana, S. Rana, H. Sun, D. Luo
Global Ecology and Conservation, volume 58, p. e03471
2025

"Forecasting hotspots of grassland suitability under climate change for restoration."

S. Rana, J. Lindstrom, M. Lehrer, M. Ahlering, J. Hamilton
Biological Conservation, volume 302, p. 110988
2024

"Saccharum spontaneum L."

S. Rana, T. Marsico
CABI International, volume NA
2024

"Pleistocene glaciation advances the cryptic speciation of Stellera chamaejasme L. in a major biodiversity hotspot."

S. Rana, H. Rana, T. Kuang, J. Landis, J. Chen, H. Wang, D. Tao, C. Davis, H. Sun
Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, volume 66, issue 6, p. 1192–1205
2023

"Existence of biogeographic barriers for the long-term Neogene-Quaternary divergence and differentiation of Koenigia forrestii in the Himalaya-Hengduan mountains."

H. Rana, S. Rana, D. Luo, H. Sun
Botanical Journal of Linnean Society, volume 201, p. 230–253
2022

"Global warming pushes the distribution range of the two alpine ‘glasshouse’ Rheum-species north- and upwards in the Eastern Himalaya (EH) and the Hengduan Mountains (HM)."

S. Rana, H. Rana, J. Stöcklin, S. Ranjitkar, H. Sun, B. Song
Frontiers in Plant Science, volume 13, p. 925296
2021

"Saussurea talungensis (Asteraceae), a new species from Humla, Nepal Himalayas."

H. Rana, S. Rana Magar, H. Sun, K. Fujikawa, D. Luo, L. Joshi, S. Ghimire
Phytokeys, volume 176, issue 1, p. 55–66
2021

"Molecular phylogeny, biogeography and character evolution of the montane genus Incarvillea Juss. (Bignoniaceae)."

S. Rana, D. Luo, H. Rana, S. Chen, H. Sun
Plant Diversity, volume 43, issue 1, p. 1–14
2021

"Geoclimatic factors influence the population genetic connectivity of Incarvillea arguta (Bignoniaceae) in the Himalaya–Hengduan Mountains biodiversity hotspot."

S. Rana, D. Luo, H. Rana, A. O'Neill, H. Sun
Journal of Systematic and Evolution, volume 59, issue 1, p. 151–168
2021

"Estimating climate-induced ‘Nowhere to go’ range shifts of the Himalayan Incarvillea Juss. using multi-model median ensemble species distribution models."

S. Rana, H. Rana, D. Luo, H. Sun
Ecological Indicator, volume 121, p. 107127
2020

"Geological and climatic factors affect the population genetic connectivity in Mirabilis himalaica (Nyctaginaceae): insight from phylogeography and dispersal corridors in the Himalaya-Hengduan Biodiversity hotspot."

H. Rana, D. Luo, S. Rana , H. Sun
Frontiers in Plant Science, volume 10, p. 1721
2020

"Establishing ecological baselines around a temperate Himalayan peatland."

A. O'Neill, P. Chhetri, B. Chhetri, S. Rana Magar
Wetland Ecology and Management, volume 28, p. 375–388
2020

"Climate-change threats to distribution, habitats, sustainability and conservation of highly traded medicinal and aromatic plants in Nepal."

S. Rana, H. Rana, S. Ranjitkar, S. Ghimire, C. Gurmachhan, A. O'Neill, H. Sun
Ecological Indicator, volume 115, p. 106435
2018

"Determining bioclimatic space of Himalayan alder for agroforestry system in Nepal."

S. Rana, H. Rana, K. Shrestha, S. Sujakhu, S. Ranjitkar
Plant Diversity, volume 40, p. 1–18
2017

"Predicting the impact of climate change on the distribution of two threatened Himalayan medicinal plants of Liliaceae in Nepal."

S. Rana, H. Rana, S. Ghimire, K. Shrestha, S. Ranjitkar
Journal of Mountain Science, volume 14, issue 3, p. 558–570

2026 - present

Editor, Journal Editor
Plant Physiology and Biochemistry
2025 - present

Committee Member
Youngstown State University
2018 - 2019

Member
he Society for Economic Botany Student Council, Missouri Botanical Garden, USA
2017 - present

Reviewer, Journal Article
Multiple Journals
2017 - present

Reviewer, Journal Article
Frontiers in Plant Science

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Santosh Rana Magar