Red Geometric Shapes

Graduate Students

Graduate Students

The Plant Biology Graduate students are engaged in cutting-edge research impacting all areas of the plant sciences. Our Program is one of the largest graduate programs at UC Riverside and offers unique academic and professional training opportunities. Plant Biology students are being recognized for their research excellence by national awards and honors and papers in high profile journals. Our students are engaged in a wide variety of outreach initiatives and are taking leadership positions at UC Riverside and in professional organizations. Contact our students or faculty, if you have questions about the student experience at UC Riverside or research discipline questions; or contact the Plant Biology Graduate program advisors.

  STUDENT INFO
 
Julia Adams

Adams, Julia

julia.adams@email.ucr.edu

https://profiles.ucr.edu/app/home/search;name=Julia%20Adams;org=;title=;phone=;affiliation=All

 
Asma Ayyad

Ayyad, Asma

asma.ayyad@email.ucr.edu

 

Marschal Bellinger

Bellinger, Marschal

mbell008@ucr.edu

Faculty: Carolyn Rasmussen

Degrees: BS, Biological Science, California State University, East Bay, CA

Research Interest: I am currently researching molecular plant microbial interactions, observing how plants react to biotic stress factors.

Awards:

  • Eugene Cota-Robles Fellowship Recipient (2013-14)
  • Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Fellowship Recipient (2013)
Emily Blair

Blair, Emily

emily.blair@email.ucr.edu 

Faculty: Dawn Nagel

Degrees: BS, Biology, Pepperdine University, CA

Research Interest:I'm interested in understanding how the circadian clock regulates the plant temperature stress response.

Awards/Prizes: 2017-2018 Distinguished Award for Graduate Students; American Society of Plant Biology Travel Grant

Teresa Bohner

Bohner, Teresa

teresa.bohner@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Jeff Diez

Degrees: BS Biological Science, Florida State University

Research Interest: 

Research interests include plant community ecology.    I am particularly interested in integrating population dynamic tools with experimental field studies to understand the consequences of global climate change on plant communities and how evolutionary processes affect populations. 
 
Alexander Borowsky

Borowsky, Alexander

 aboro002@ucr.edu

https://alexborowsky.github.io/

Faculty:

Degrees: B.A. Molecular and Cellular Biology, Vanderbilt University

Research Interest: Gene regulation; Plant metabolism; Computational biology

 

 
Selena Burke

Burke, Selena

 

Faculty:

Degrees: 

Research Interest: 

 

 
Sun Hyun Chang

Chang, Sun Hyun

 

Faculty:

Degrees: 

Research Interest: 

 

Courtney Collins

Collins, Courtney

courtney.collins@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Jeff Diez

Degrees:  
B.A. Environmental Science, University of Florida  
M.S. Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development, University of Georgia

Research Interest:  My research interests center on plant-soil feedbacks and how the interaction between plants and their soil environment affects species distributions, coexistence, and community composition, in particular with regards to range expanding native species.  

Awards:  2015 Mary DeDecker Botanical Grant

Lauren Dedow

Dedow, Lauren

(951) 827-6376
lauren.dedow@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Julia Bailey Serres

Degrees: B.S, Biological Sciences- Plant Sciences, Michigan Technological University, MI

Research Interest: Post-transcriptional gene regulation is an important, yet relatively unstudied area of gene expression regulation, the role of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) in these processes is understood even less. In animals, the RBP family of Pumillio-Puf domains proteins (PUMs) has been shown to control both developmental and stress related processes. Arabidopsis thaliana has 26 PUMs (APUMs) most of which are poorly understood. My research focuses on the investigation of the Group 3 APUMs including their localization, RNA targets and biological role in an effort to better understand the role RBPs play in gene regulation.

Awards: National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Recipient (2012-2015)

Publications: Wang L, Si Y, Dedow LK, Shao Y, Lui P, Brutnell TP. (2011) A Low-Cost Library 
Construction Protocol and Data Analysis Pipeline for Illumina-Based Strand-Specific Multiplex RNA-Seq. PLoS ONE 6: e26426.

Leadership and Outreach: Development of a Molecular Biology Undergraduate lab with Dr. Joanna Werner-Fraczek of Moreno Valley College

Yoko Hiraoka

Hiraoka, Yoko (formerly Yoko Eck)

yoko.eck@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Mike Roose

Degrees: BS, Neuroscience, Riverside, CA

 
James Eckhardt

Eckhardt, James

 jeckh001@ucr.edu

Faculty:

Degrees: B.A. Biological Sciences, Gustavus Adolphus College

Research Interest: 

 

 
Eric Focht

Focht, Eric

eric.focht@email.ucr.edu

Danielle Garceau

Garceau, Danielle

danielle.garceau@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Linda Walling

Degrees: BS, Biology - Stonehill College

Research Interest: Plant defense; whitefly resistance mechanisms in cassava

 

 
Michael Guzman

Guzman, Michael

 

Faculty:

Degrees: 

Research Interest: 

 

 
Elizabeth Hann

Hann, Elizabeth

elizabeth.hann@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Robert Jinkerson

Degrees: B.S. Environmental Systems, Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, minor in Marine Science, University of California, San Diego

Research Interests:In my research, I am using high-throughput genetic screening methods in a model green algae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, to answer basic biological questions. Utilizing a mutant knockout library, I am working to identify genes important to lipid accumulation to improve engineering strategies to create an improved algae biofuel feedstock. I am also interested in chloroplast genomes and how they evolve. I am doing research into how, why, and at what frequency endosymbiotic gene transfer occurs from the chloroplast to the nuclear genome.

Publications: 
Bauman, Nicholas, Srividya Akella, Elizabeth Hann, Robert Morey, Ariel S. Schwartz, Rob Brown, and Toby H. Richardson. "Next-Generation Sequencing of Haematococcus lacustris Reveals and Extremely Large 1.35-Megabase Chloroplast Genome." Genome Announcements 6, no. 12 (2019): e00181-18.

 

 

 

Harland-Dunaway, Marcus

 

Faculty:

Degrees: 

Research Interest: 

 

Ira Herniter

Herniter, Ira

ihern014@ucr.edu

Faculty: Timothy Close

Degrees: BS, Cell Biology and Genetics, University of Maryland College Park, MD

Research Interest:Plant breeding, orphan crops, consumer-related traits, seed coat color, seed coat pattern, leaf shape

Awards/Prizes: Research Innovation Fellowship for Agriculture (2018); James and Margaret Lesley Annual Prize (2018); Appleman-Norton Award in Botany (2015)

 

 

Yi Huang

Huang, Yi

yi.huang004@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Amy Litt

Degrees: BS, Bioscience, Beijing Normal University, China - Peoples Republic Of

Research Interest:

 

Peter Ibsen

Ibsen, Peter

pibse001@ucr.edu

Faculty: Darrell Jenerette

Degrees: B.A. - University of San Francisco

Research Interest:

 

Israel Jimenez Luna

Jimenez Luna, Israel

israel.jimenez@email.ucr.edu

FacultyPhilippe Rolshausen

Degree:
BS, Biology, UCLA, CA
MS, Biology, UCLA, CA

Research:

 

 
Meg Kargul

Kargul, Meg

 

Faculty:

Degrees: 

Research Interest: 

 

 
Alek Kettenburg

Kettenburg, Alek

 akett001@ucr.edu

FacultyJulia Bailey-Serres

Degrees: BS, Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology, UC Riverside

Research Interest: Abiotic stresses, such as flooding, drought, and nutrient poor soil are major obstacles limiting global crop production. My research focuses on understanding molecular responses to abiotic stress in Oryza sativa (rice) and Triticum aestivium (wheat).

 

 
Ruth Kim

Kim, Ruth

ruth.kim001@email.ucr.edu

https://rjplantgirl.weebly.com/

Faculty: Meng Chen

Degrees: BA Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley 

Research Interest: Plant response to changes in environment cues such as light and temperature; Nuclear Organization; Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology 

Awards/Prizes: Chancellor's Distinguish Fellowship Award; 2018-2019 ASPB Conviron Scholar

Publications: Qiu, YJ., M., Kim, R.J., Moore, C. and Chen, M. (2018) Daytime temperature is sense by phytochrome B in Arabidopsis through a transcriptional activator HEMERA. Nat. Commun.

Dion Kucera

Kucera, Dion


Faculty:  Darrel Jenerette

dion.kucera@email.ucr.edu

Degree:
BS, Humboldt State University, CA
MS Indiana University Blooming, IN

Research: 

 

Travis Lee

Lee, Travis

(951) 827-6376
travis.lee@email.ucr.edu 

Faculty: Julia Bailey-Serres

Degrees: 
BS, Biological Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA
MS, Molecular Biology, California State University Long Beach, CA

Research Interest: My research focuses on plant responses under low oxygen (hypoxia).  Natural events, such as flooding, lead to decreased oxygen levels within the plant. To survive prolonged hypoxia stress, changes in metabolism must occur as a result of differential gene regulation, which is mediated by specific transcription factors. A specific group of ethylene response factors (ERFs) have been found to be important for hypoxia and submergence tolerance. The focus of my research aims to elucidate the roles and functions, as well as the network of genes and proteins associated with these specific ERFs.

Publications: 
Lee, T. A., Vande Wetering, S. W., and Brusslan, J. A. (2013). Stromal protein degradation is incomplete in Arabidopsis thaliana autophagy mutants undergoing natural senescence. BMC Res Notes, 6, 17. doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-6-17

Gasch P, Fundinger M, Muller JT, Lee T, Bailey-Serres J, Mustroph A (2016) Redundant ERF-VII Transcription Factors Bind to an Evolutionarily Conserved cis-Motif to Regulate Hypoxia-Responsive Gene Expression in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 28: 160-180

Li Liu

Liu, Li

951-827-3178

lliu026@ucr.edu

Faculty: Xuemei Chen

Degrees: 
BA, Biotechnology, South China Tropical Agricultural University, CHINA
MS, Botany, Shenzhen University, CHINA

Research Interest:  My current research is focused on microRNA  degradation and microRNA movement.

 

Sassoum Lo

Lo, Sassoum

sassoum.lo@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Timothy Close

Degrees: BS Chemistry and Applied Biology, Cheikh Anta Diop University Dakar, Senegal

Research Interest: I am interested in crop domestication and crop genetic improvement. Specifically, my research is focused on determining the genetic basis of domestication-related traits in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), including pod shattering and seed size, and on studying the effect of increasing seed size on the nutritional quality of the cowpea grain.

Awards:
Travel award, PanAfrican Grain Legume and World Cowpea Conference, Legume Innovation Lab (2016)

Graduate Studies Fellowship, West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (World Bank funds) (2014-2016)

Graduate Research Fellowship, Kirkhouse Trust Foundation, University of Virginia (2012)

Leadership and Outreach:  Volunteer, “Where does food come from?” Outreach event for elementary school students (2015)

Publications:

Elizabeth Luscher

Luscher, Elizabeth

(951) 827-7056
elizabeth.luscher@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Patricia Springer

Degrees: BS, Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology, The Ohio State University

Research Interest: My research interests involve understanding the control of shoot architecture in monocots and dicots. Current work is focused on dissecting the relationship between the plant hormone brassinosteroid (BR) and the development of the ligular region in the maize leaf. The ligular region, which forms at the junction between the blade and sheath, regulates leaf inclination, which when altered can increase plant density and yield overall. 

Awards:

  • GAANN Fellowship Award - 16W
Dinusha Maheepala

Maheepala, Dinusha

(951) 827-3914
dinusha.maheepala@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Amy Litt

Degrees:
MS, Plant Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA
BS, Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA

Research Interest: Fleshy fruits have evolved multiple times during the evolution of angiosperms. My research involves studying the evolution and development of fleshy fruits in Solanaceae. I pay special attention to the role of FRUITFULL genes in these processes.

Awards:

  1. GAANN Fellowship Award - 16W 

Leadership and Outreach:

  1. Volunteer, "Where Does Food Come From?", Botany and Plant Sciences outreach event at UCR (2013)
  2. Science fair judge, St. Catherine of Alexandria, Riverside CA (2013)
 
Jill Marzolino

Marzolino, Jill

jill.marzolino@email.ucr.edu

Faculty:  Daniel Koenig

Degree: B.S. Plant Biology/ B.A. English , University of California, Davis

Research Interests:Plant Environmental Adaptation

Leticia Meza

Meza, Leticia

leticia.meza@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Patricia Springer

Degree:
BS, Biology, Chicago State University, IL

Research:

 

 
Mystyn Mills

Mills, Mystyn

mystyn.mills@email.ucr.edu

 
Tejasvinee Atul Mody

Mody, Tejasvinee Atul

tejasvinee.mody@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Dawn Nagel

Degrees: BS-MS, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, India

Research Interest:Temperature regulation of Arabidopsis circadian clock by heat shock transcription factors

Awards: 2017, Dean's Distinguished Fellowship

Jonathan Montgomery

Montgomery, Jonathan

jmont030@ucr.edu

Faculty: Milt McGiffen 

Degrees: BS, Botany, Humboldt State University, CA

Research Interest: I am interested in plant/environment interactions, especially those relating to water use. My research is primarily focused on the manipulation of plant physiology through genetics with the goal of increasing drought tolerance.

Awards:

  1. GAANN Fellowship Award - 16W
 
Glen Morrison

Morrison, Glen

glen.morrison@email.ucr.edu

 

 
Wesley Neher

Neher, Wesley

wesley.neher@email.ucr.edu

 
Dariush Nejad

Nejad, Dariush

dariush.nejad@email.ucr.edu

Irma Ortiz

Ortiz, Irma

irma.ortiz001@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Linda Walling

Degrees: BS, Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, UCLA

Research Interest: Plants encounter biotic stresses in the field and they coordinate many signal transduction pathways for an effective defense. The Walling lab identified leucyl aminopeptidase A (LAP-A) is important to protect tomatoes against insect feeding. I am interested in understanding the key players downstream of LAP-A in the wound signaling pathway. 

Awards:

  1. Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship (2013-2016)
  2. NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention (2013)
  3. ASPB Travel Grant (2013)
  4. NSF California Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship (2012-2013)

Publications:

  1. Schwartz AR, Ortiz I, Maymon M, Herbold C, Fujishige NA, Vijanderan J, Villella W, Hanamoto K, Diener A, Sanders ER, DeMason DA, and Hirsch AM (2013) Bacillus simplex- a little known PGPB with anti-fungal activity- alters pea legume root architecture and nodule morphology when coinoculated with Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae. Agronomy 3: 595.
  2. Grigorian M, Mandal L, Hakimi M, Ortiz I, Hartenstein V (2011) The convergence of Notch and MAPK signaling specifies the blood progenitor fate in the Drosophila mesoderm. Developmental Biology 353: 105.
  3. Spindler SR, Ortiz I, Fung S, Takashima S, Hartenstein V (2009) Drosophila cortex and neuropile glia influence secondary axon tract growth, pathfinding, and fasciculation in the developing larval brain. Developmental Biology 334: 355.

Leadership and Outreach:

  1. UCR Chicano Link Peer Mentor to incoming undergraduate students (2013)
  2. Annual Inland Empire Science Olympiad assistant (2013)
  3. Bridge to the Doctorate Graduate Student Panelist to an undergraduate student audience in UCR and UCI (2012)
  4. Led a “Fruit and Veggies” station for one hundred elementary students in Annual Botany and Plant Sciences event “Where Does Food Come From?” (2012-2013)
Michala Phillips

Phillips, Michala

michala.phillips@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Edith Allen

Degrees:

Research Interest:

 

Michael Piña

Piña, Michael

mpina001@ucr.edu

Faculty: Milton McGiffen

Degrees: B.S., Biology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA

Research Interest: My dissertation work investigates the effects of the soil amendment biochar on the ability of agronomic legumes to add nitrogen to the soil. I am broadly interested in sustainable food systems and cultural practices that enhance soil fertility and reduce energy inputs in agriculture. I believe that food security and environmental sustainability are critical to a healthy and vibrant world community.

Awards:

  1. Graduate Research Fellowship, National Science Foundation, 2014
  2. Fellow, Borlaug Summer Institute on Global Food Security, Purdue University, 2015

 

 
Stephanie Piper

Piper, Stephanie

stephanie.piper@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Darrel Jenerette

Degrees:B.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University; M.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University

Research Interests:Urban ecology, nitrogen cycling, landscape ecology

Alexander Plong

Plong, Alexander

aplon001@ucr.edu

Faculty: Venu Gonehal

Degrees: BS, MS - Cal State Long Beach

Research Interest:

 

Han Qu

Qu, Han

han.qu@email.ucr.edu

FacultyArthur Jia

Degree:  BAR, Ornamental Horticulture, Beijing Forestry University, China

Research: 

 

Alex Rajewski

Rajewski, Alex

araje002@ucr.edu,
Professional Lab Website

Faculty: Amy Litt

Degrees: MS - University of Georgia Athens, GA, BS - Drake University, IA

Research Interest:  During the evolution of angiosperms, there has frequently been a transition from dry to fleshy fruits. I study the evolution of dry vs fleshy fruits in the nightshade (Solanaceae) plant family focusing on the dry fruit of tabacco and the role of the transcription factor FRUITFULL.

Awards:

  1. Eugene Cota-Robles - 15F
  2. American Society for Horticultural Science Travel Grant - 15S, 16S, 17S
  3.  American Society for Horticultural Science 3-Minute Thesis 1st Place- 15S, 16S
  4. GAANN Fellowship Award - 16F
  5. American Society of Plant Biologists, Conviron Fellow- 17S
  6. UCR Grad Slam, Honorable Mention- 17W, 18W

Leadership and Outreach:

    1. Graduate Student Peer Mentor, 2016-Present
    2. American Society for Horticultural Science, Membership and Member Services Task Force, 2016-Present
    3. American Society for Horticultural Science, Grad Student Working Group Co-Chair,  2015-2016

Publications:

Classification and phylogenetic analyses of the Arabidopsis and tomato G-type lectin receptor kinases. Teixeira, M., A. Rajewski, J. He, O. Castaneda, A. Litt, I. Kaloshian. 2018. BMC Genomics. 19(1):239. DOI:10.1186/s12864-018-4606-0

 

Rachel Rattner

Rattner, Rachel

rachel.rattner@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Mikeal Roose

Degrees: BS, Biotechnology, Rochester Institute of Technology, NY

Research Interest: My research project involves investigating the importance of small RNA molecules, which regulate the expression of genes, during citrus development and their impact on citrus fruit quality.  There is evidence that some of these molecules can move from shoots to roots and from roots to shoots.  Therefore, small RNAs produced in citrus roots may regulate gene expression in the fruits. The results from this project will be useful to citrus breeders in the future.  

Awards:

  1. Frontiers and Techniques in Plant Science - a Cold Spring Harbor Workshop, Travel Grant (2012)
  2. Charles W. Coggins Jr. Endowed Scholarship Fund (2013)

Leadership and Outreach:

  1. Co-Chair, Botany Graduate Student Association (2013-2014)
  2. Graduate Student Representative, Educational Advisory Committee, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences (2013-2014) 
Roche Paul

Roche, Paul

paul.roche@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Linda Walling

Degrees: BS, Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside

Research Interest: Enzyme leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and its role as a molecular chaperone within the cell. 

 
Clarissa Rodriguez

Rodriguez, Clarissa

 crodr087@ucr.edu

Faculty:Loralee Larios

Degrees: BS, Environmental Biology, California State University Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA

Research Interest: 

 

Israel Santana

Santana, Israel

israel.santana@email.ucr.edu

FacultyJuan Pablo Giraldo 

Degree:
BS, Natural and Social Science, Cal State University Los Angeles, CA

Research: 

 

Michael Schwartz

Schwartz, Michael

mschw011@ucr.edu

Faculty: Patricia Springer

Degrees: BS, Biological Sciences and Plant Biology, North Carolina State University

Research Interest:

 
Colin Sears

Sears, Colin

 

Faculty:

Degrees: 

Research Interest: 

 

Andrew Semotiuk

Semotiuk, Andrew

(951) 827-3546
andrew.semotiuk@email.ucr.edu
Website: http://ezcurralab.ucr.edu/asemotiuk/asemotiuk.html

Faculty: Exequiel Ezcurra

Degrees: 
BS, Biochemistry, Walla Walla University, WA
MS, Biochemistry, Loma Linda University, CA

Research Interest: My research interests include ethnobotany and ecology of medicinal plant communities. Currently, I am investigating the medicinal plant populations and collecting practices in the Yaqui and Mayo River Valleys of Sonora, Mexico. Understanding the interactions between people and these natural resources gives insight to the sustainability of the ecosystem and cultural diversity that depends on it.

Awards: 

  1. Grant, UC MEXUS Small Grant (2013)

Publications:

  1. Semotiuk A, Cus M, Semotiuk N (2012) Modern education and culture impact on both language and botanical healing traditions of the Maya in Belize. Acta Horticulturae 1: 205-210.
  2. Adeoye OO, Butler SM, Hubbell MC, Semotiuk A, Williams JM, Pearce WJ (2013) Contribution of increased VEGF receptors to hypoxic changes in fetal ovine carotid artery contractile proteins. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 304: C656-665.
  3. Hubbell MC, Semotiuk AJ, Thorpe RB, Adeoye OO, Butler SM, Williams JM, Khorram O, Pearce WJ (2012) Chronic hypoxia and VEGF differentially modulate abundance and organization of myosin heavy chain isoforms in fetal and adult ovine arteries. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 303: C1090-1103.
  4. Butler SM, Abrassart JM, Hubbell MC, Adeoye O, Semotiuk A, Williams JM, Mata-Greenwood E, Khorram O, Pearce WJ (2011) Contributions of VEGF to age-dependent transmural gradients in contractile protein expression in ovine carotid arteries. American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology 301: C653-C666.

Leadership and Outreach:

  1. Planting Science Mentor, Society for Economic Botany (online) (2012-present)
  2. Participant, Plant biology experimental afternoons, Casa Hogar de Niños Betesda, Navojoa, Mexico)
 
Miwa Shirai

Shirai, Miwa

miwa.shirai@email.ucr.edu

Noah Teller

Teller, Noah

noah.teller@email.ucr.edu

FacultyTravis Bean

Degree:  BA, Biology, Whitman College, WA

Research:  I am broadly interested in investigating novel strategies and refining existing restoration techniques that improve ecological sequestration of greenhouse gases in working landscapes and wild lands without significantly compromising on traditional restoration goals such as protecting biodiversity and safeguarding ecosystem services.  I would like to develop strategies of minimal intervention and disturbance that reduce the use of heavy machinery, herbicides, and chemical inputs to control cost and that are feasible in highly restricted or rugged areas such as designated Wilderness.  I hope to orient my research towards informing concrete policies and advocating for interagency and private-public coordinated action to protect the lands we depend on for our survival, quality of life, economy, and culture.Target systems for these goals include grazed lands dominated by invasive annual grasses in California’s lower elevations and forest systems impacted by severe fire in the Sierra Nevada and California Coast ranges.

 

Patrick Thomas

Thomas, Patrick

patrick.thomas@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Linda Walling

Degrees: BS, Agricultural Science, Pennsylvania State University, PA

Research Interest:

 

 
Zachary Thomas

Thomas, Zachary

Faculty:

Degrees: 

Research Interest:

 
Kevin To

To, Kevin

kevin.to001@email.ucr.edu

Jessica Toth

Toth, Jessica

(951) 827-6991
jtoth001@ucr.edu

Faculty: Jaimie Van Norman

Degrees: 
B.S. Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside
B.S. Plant Biology, University of California, Riverside

Research Interest: I am interested in studying the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) and its pathway and corresponding receptors within the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. ABA has many potential agricultural applications and promotes drought tolerance in plants

Aimee Uyehara

Uyehara, Aimee

 

Faculty:

Degrees: 

Research Interest: 

 

 
Alex Valenzuela

Valenzuela, Alex

 avale043@ucr.edu

Faculty:

Degrees: BS, Biology, California State University Bakersfield

Research Interest: 

 

Lorena Villanueva-Almanza

Villanueva-Almanza, Lorena

(951) 8272869
lorena.villanuevaalmanza@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Exequiel Ezcurra

Degrees: BS, Biology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico.                           MSc, Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants, University of Edinburgh, Scotland

Research Interest:  I am interested in the origins and ecology of the native and introduced plants of the missions of the Baja California Peninsula. Understanding their origin and interactions amongst themselves, the surrounding human populations and the abiotic factors can help tailor conservation strategies.

Awards: 

  1. 2014-2018  National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT-UCMEXUS) Scholarship
  2. 2014-2015 Mexican Ministry of Education (SEP) Scholarship
  3. 2013 Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Distinction for dissertation titled Risk Assessment of Seven Timber Species in the       Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests of Kenya and Tanzania
  4.  2012-2013 National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) Scholarship                                                                                                                                     

Publications:

Villanueva-Almanza L. 2014. Garryaceae. In: Medina-Lemos R., J.G. Sánchez-Ken, A. García-Mendoza & S. Arias-Montes (eds.). Flora del Valle de Tehuacán- Cuicatlán 116: 1-9. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico

Villanueva-Almanza L. 2012. Phytolaccaceae. In: Medina-Lemos R., J.G. Sánchez-Ken, A. García-Mendoza & S. Arias-Montes (eds.). Flora del Valle de Tehuacán- Cuicatlán 105: 1-17. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico

http://www.ibiologia.unam.mx/barra/publicaciones/floras_tehuacan/2013/F105_Phy.pdf

Martínez-López M. & L. Villanueva-Almanza. 2012. Primulaceae. In: Medina-Lemos R., J.G. Sánchez-Ken, A. García-Mendoza & S. Arias-Montes (eds.). Flora del Valle de Tehuacán- Cuicatlán 101: 1-24. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico

http://www.ibiologia.unam.mx/barra/publicaciones/floras_tehuacan/F101_Pri.pdf

Villanueva-Almanza L. 2011. Loasaceae. In: Medina-Lemos R., J.G. Sánchez-Ken, A. García-Mendoza & S. Arias-Montes (eds.). Flora del Valle de Tehuacán- Cuicatlán 93: 1-24. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico

http://www.ibiologia.unam.mx/barra/publicaciones/floras_tehuacan/2012/F93_Loas.pdf

Villanueva-Almanza L. & R. María Fonseca-Juárez. 2011. Revisión Taxonómica y Distribución Geográfica de Ephedra en México. (Taxonomic revision of genus Ephedra in Mexico) Acta Botánica Mexicana 96: 79-116

http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=57419276009

 

 

Jianqiang Wang

Wang, Jianqiang

jianqiang.wang@email.ucr.edu

Faculty
Thomas Eulgem

Degree:
BS, Biological Sciences, Fujian Agriculture& Forestry University, China
MS, Plant Pathology, Fujian Agriculture& Forestry University, China

Research: 

 

Meiyue Wang

Wang, Meiyue

meiyue.wang@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Shizhong Xu

Degrees: BS, Plant Science-Crop Production Management, California State University, Fresno

Research Interest:  My research focuses on developing new statistical methods for testing population differentiation due to selection using genome-wide molecular marker data.

 

Camille Wendlandt

Wendlandt, Camille

(951) 827-3455
cwend001@ucr.edu

Faculty: Joel Sachs

Degrees: BS, Biology, Seattle Pacific University, WA

Research Interest: I am broadly interested in the ecology of legume root nodulation by symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Specifically, I want to understand how legumes integrate signals from the rhizosphere, such as nutrient availability and microbe community dynamics, in the decision to initiate nodulation with potential symbionts. 

Publications: Campbell DF, Wendlandt CE (2013).  Altered precipitation affects plant hybrids differently than their parental species. American Journal of Botany 100: 1322-1331.

 
Alexandra White

White, Alexandra

 

Faculty:

Degrees: 

Research Interest: 

 

 

Williams, Courun

cwill019@ucr.edu

Faculty:

Degrees: BS, Biology, North Carolina University

Research Interests:

Sonja Winte

Winte, Sonja

sonja.winte@email.ucr.edu

Faculty:  Julia Bailey-Serres  

Degrees:  BS-Genetics and BA-English, UC Davis--Davis, CA

Research Interest:  Plant development; plant plasticity in response to environmental stress

Publications:  Ron M, Kajala K, Pauluzzi G, Wang D, Reynoso MA, Zumstein K, Garcha J, Winte S, Masson H, Inagaki S, Federici F, Sinha N, Deal RB, Bailey-Serres J, and Brady SM (2014). Hairy root transformation using Agrobacterium rhizogenes as a tool for exploring cell type-specific gene expression and function using tomato as a model. Plant Physiology; 166(2): 455-469.

Awards:

  • GAANN Fellowship Award - 16W
 
Meng Xi

Xi, Meng

meng.xi@email.ucr.edu

Zenan Xing

Xing, Zenan

zenan.xing@email.ucr.edu

Facutly: Sean Cutler

Degree: 
BS, Biotechnology, Nanjing Agricultural University, China
MS, Developmental Biology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

ResearcH
 

 

Yi Zhu

Zhu, Yi

(951) 827-4413
yi.zhu@email.ucr.edu

Faculty: Mikeal Roose

Degrees: BS, Biology, University of Science and Technology of China

Research Interest: I'm interested in molecular analysis of induced mutation in citrus varieties. It includes both bioinformatics prediction and molecular validations for the differences between parent and mutant.

Publications: Fang P, Wang J, Li X, Guo M, Xing L, Cao X, Zhu Y, Gao Y, Niu L, Teng M. (2009) Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Escherichia coli RNase G. Acta Cryst. F65, 586-588


Let us help you with your search