Current PMB graduate students
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Elena Ayala
advisor(s): Jeff Gralnick 
first semester in PMB: fall 2022
research interests: Competence induction and regulation in archaea
study system: Methanococcus maripaludis


Daniel Bacher
advisor(s): Jerry Cohen and Adrian Hegeman
first semester in PMB: fall 2023
research interests: Plant cell and molecular biology, metabolomics and proteomics, enzymology
study system: monocots (corn, rice)


Aiym Bakytbaikyzy
advisor(s): Jonathan Schilling
first semester in PMB: fall 2022
research interests: Fungal and bacterial ecology in decaying wood
study system: Fomitopsis betulina brown rot fungus decaying birch


Parikha Banga
advisor(s): Jannell Bazurto
first semester in PMB: fall 2023
research interests:
study system: Methylorubrum extorquens


Joan Barreto Ortiz
advisor(s): Candy Hirsch
first semester in PMB: fall 2022
research interests:
study system:


Adity Biswas
advisor(s): Katie Fixen
first semester in PMB: fall 2022
research interests: My research interest is in environmental microbiology. I am currently working on introducing plant proteins, such as ferredoxin, into our chassis bacterium to power nitrogenase and test its nitrogen fixation ability. Additionally, I am involved in engineering plant ferredoxin to optimize the electron transfer pathway to nitrogenase.
study system: Rhodopseudomonas palustris


Reid Brown
advisor(s): Jim Cotner
first semester in PMB: fall 2022
research interests: Understanding drivers of greenhouse gas emissions from freshwater sources
study system: lakes


Anahi Cantoran
advisor(s): Peter Kennedy
first semester in PMB: fall 2021
research interests:
study system:


Melissa Duda
advisor(s): Dave Moeller
first semester in PMB: fall 2024
research interests:
study system:


Sara Endejan
advisor(s): Dan Voytas
first semester in PMB: fall 2023
research interests: Gene editing in plants
study system:


Danielle Gafford
advisor(s): Katie Greenham and Feng Zhang
first semester in PMB: fall 2024
research interests:
study system:


Shengsong Guo
advisor(s): Feng Zhang
first semester in PMB: fall 2023
research interests: precise genome editing, DNA repair, bioinformatics
study system: Arabidopsis and crops


Chris Hansen
advisor(s): Trinity Hamilton
first semester in PMB: fall 2022
research interests: I am interested in the chemical and biological processes happening beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. Specifically, how does seasonal melting regulate microbial ecology in these cold, nutrient-limited environments and, in turn, affect biogeochemical cycling (e.g., methane production and release)?
study system: glacier outlets of the Greenland Ice Sheet


Emily Hanson
advisor(s): Kyle Costa
first semester in PMB: fall 2021
research interests: Biofilm formation and iron corrosion by methanogenic archaea
study system: Methanococcus maripaludis


Aidan Harrington
advisor(s): Dave Moeller
first semester in PMB: fall 2021
research interests: Ecology and evolution of polyploid plants
study system: Clarkia rhomboidea


Adelaide Hazen
advisor(s): Katie Greenham and Andy Read
first semester in PMB: fall 2024
research interests: circadian regulation in plants and plant-microbe interactions
study system:


Katie Hillman
advisor(s): Tom Niehaus
first semester in PMB: fall 2020
research interests: 
study system:


Erica Houser
advisor(s): Rebecca Montgomery and Peter Kennedy
first semester in PMB: fall 2024
research interests:
study system:


Ursula Humayun
advisor(s): 
first semester in PMB: fall 2024
research interests:
study system:


Derek Hunsaker
advisor(s): Shaun Curtin and Feng Zhang
first semester in PMB: fall 2023
research interests: Gene editing and crop improvement
study system: soybean


Uhunwa Precious Igho-Osagie
advisor(s): Ya Yang
first semester in PMB: fall 2024
research interests: plant systematics, phylogenetics, taxonomy, herbarium curation and biodiversity conservation
study system: Euphorbiaceae


Brooke Kern
advisor(s): Dave Moeller
first semester in PMB: fall 2019
research interests: the role of plant mating system shifts in speciation
study system: Clarkia xantiana


Aaron Lee 
advisor(s): Ya Yang
first semester in PMB: fall 2020
research interests: phylogenomics, macroevolution, natural history collections, spectroscopy
study system: Caryophyllales


Viviana Londoño
advisor(s): Jennifer Powers
first semester in PMB: fall 2021
research interests: seed ecology, seedlings ecology, natural regeneration, tropical dry forests
study system: tropical dry forests


Evin Magner
advisor(s): Clay Carter
first semester in PMB: fall 2020
research interests: nectar, plant biochemistry, and plant-pollinator interactions
study system:


Claire Menard
advisor(s): Candice Hirsch
first semester in PMB: fall 2020
research interests: Plant genomics, bioinformatics, epigenomics, transposable elements
study system: maize


Erik Myers ()
advisor(s): Dan Voytas
first semester in PMB: fall 2024
research interests:
study system:


Achala Narayanan
advisor(s): Peter Kennedy
first semester in PMB: fall 2022
research interests:
study system:


Samantha Pelletier
advisor(s): Katie Greenham
first semester in PMB: fall 2024
research interests: metabolic flux between primary and specialized metabolism
study system: Brassicaceae


Alejandra Pérez-Enriquez
advisor(s): Jennifer Powers
first semester in PMB: fall 2023
research interests: I am interested in understanding how tropical plants respond to their environment and how these responses vary with changes in climate, and its dramatic outcomes. My aim is to use this knowledge to apply it to ecological restoration through participatory processes. Additionally, I am passionate about democratizing knowledge and sharing science with anyone who has any fun fact about plants... or any other nature element/
study system: tropical dry forests


Taylor Price
advisor(s): Trinity Hamilton
first semester in PMB: fall 2019
research interests: I study microbial diversity and function in alpine watersheds in the United States. I use my system as a way to inform the search for extraterrestrial life on icy ocean worlds.
study system: mountain watersheds


Angela Ricono
advisor(s): Katie Greenham
first semester in PMB: fall 2019
research interests: Integrating temporal dynamics into transcriptomic and metabolic networks to improve crop performance
study system: Brassica; Arabidopsis


Christos Robertson
advisor(s): Devanshi Khokhani and Adrian Hegeman
first semester in PMB: fall 2023
research interests: The tripartite interactions of Plants, Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, and the greater soil community. I have a particular interest in nutrient dynamics within the "mycorrhizosphere" for application towards improving sustainability in agricultural systems.
study system: many different plants, soils, fungi, bacteria


Brandon Schmidt
advisor(s): 
first semester in PMB: fall 2024
research interests:
study system:


Abraham Steinberger
advisor(s): Dan Voytas
first semester in PMB: fall 2022
research interests: Gene editing and transformation of plants
study system: mostly dicots


Clair Wootan
advisor(s): Nathan Springer and Feng Zhang
first semester in PMB: fall 2021
research interests: 
study system:


Shen Zhang
advisor(s): Min Ni
first semester in PMB: fall 2020
research interests:
study system:


Anthony Zmuda
advisor(s): Jannell Bazurto/Tom Niehaus
first semester in PMB: fall 2020
research interests:
study system: