People
In our lab we are interested in understanding the flows of material and energy through
metabolic networks in plants and microbes. My background in biophysical chemistry
is reflected in the spectroscopic and computer - aided - modelling approaches we use
to quantify transport and biochemical reaction fluxes through these networks. The
biological systems we study vary from single-celled oil producing algae to developing seeds of crop plants to the nutrient exchange between plants and symbiotic microbes. These systems are of both basic biological interest (for example: How are nutritional
mutualisms sustained? What is the function in algae of accumulating storage compounds
under stress? What is the basis of metabolic (in)efficiency in seed storage biosynthesis?)
and potential practical value (improving biofuel production by plants and algae, increasing
productivity in low-input agriculture, increasing oilseed productivity and value).
My interests span the chemistry and biochemistry of plant natural products and lipids,
with emphasis on vegetable oil (triacylglycerol) and the lipid polymers cutin and
suberin. Although officially retired, I am still in the lab studying methods to improve
lipid acyl flux maps in seeds.
The overall goal of my project is to substantially increase the yield of Camelina sativa by understanding and improving carbon fixation and utilization in seed production.
My research interest is to establish reliable tools for metabolite analysis and label
quantification so that we can better understand photosynthetic carbon metabolism in
leaves of wild type and transgenic Camelina plants.
I am interested in the lipid metabolism of a model microalga called Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Algae can accumulate oil under stress conditions, primarily the neutral lipid TAG,
and this oil can be converted into biodiesel fuel. There is much interest in unraveling
the oil biosynthesis pathways of algae, and my research focuses on elucidating the
lipids that contribute to TAG synthesis during nutrient stress, as well as the fate
of the carbon in TAG during recovery from nutrient stress. I use isotopic labeling
and physiological measurements to trace the fluxes of lipids in Chlamydomonas under
nutrient stress and nutrient recovery to probe these questions. When I'm not in the
lab, I enjoy playing board games and spending time with my wonderful dog Zotie.
My research centers on improving our ability to describe and predict the flow of energy
and matter through photosynthetic genome-scale metabolic networks using computational
techniques like Flux Balance Analysis (FBA). In particular, I aim to develop improved
methods for the construction and analysis of multi-tissue metabolic models that allow
us to ask and answer questions about resource allocation in plants, with a special
focus on the oilseed crop Camelina sativa. The ultimate goal of this work is to discover promising new targets for the biotechnological
engineering of C. sativa and other plant systems to address challenges around health and sustainability. In
addition to my primary research project, I have collaborated with other labs on the
application of metabolic modeling techniques to identify gene knockout strategies
to accomplish specific bioengineering objectives, as well as on the modeling and quantitative
analysis of metabolite labeling data to probe the limitations of current models of
photosynthetic biochemistry.
In my free time, I enjoy reading and thinking about other areas of science, spending
time with my pets, and playing board games and video games.
My primary research interest is the metabolism of Cyanidioschyzon merolae, an extremophilic
single-celled alga of acidic geothermal waters. This species has biotechnological
potential and is also of interest for basic research because of its resilience in
low-pH and high-temperature conditions and its simple cellular, metabolic, and genomic
structures. My research is co-advised by Dr. Berkley Walker, and we currently aim
to elucidate how C. merolae is adapted to conditions that challenge photosynthesis,
including whether this alga bolsters its photosynthetic efficiency with a process
known as a carbon-concentrating mechanism.
My research interests to be pursued in graduate school center around the neurobiology
of mental illness, improving our understanding of treatments and disease outcomes.
To gain helpful laboratory skills and experience with research, I joined the Plant Biology lab. Some projects I've worked on include developing metabolic modeling teaching
tools and exploring lipid production in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. I like to bake, play video games, and exercise in my free time.