Main Investigator
Dr. Bingyu Zhao
Postdoctoral, 2004-2007, University of California-Berkeley, CA, USA
Ph.D., 1999-2004, Kansas State University, KS, USA
M.S., 1994-1997, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China
B.S., 1990-1994, Qingdao Agricultural University, China
Research Faculty
Dr. Yiming Liu, Research Associate (CES)
Yiming is collaborating with Dr. Xunzhong Zhang (CES, Virginia Tech), Kevin Childs (MSU) and Robin Buell (MSU) to identify differences in abiotic stress gene networks between lowland and upland ecotypes of switchgrass.
Yi Liu, Research Associate
Yi is working on dissecting signaling pathways in Arabidopsis immunity
Jiamin Miao, Visiting Scholar
Jiamin is working on switchgrass gene mapping and identification.
Dr. Zhiyong Yang, Research Associate (ICTAS)
Zhiyong is working on switchgrass genetic improvement though tissue culture selection and chromosome engineering.
Dr. Changhe Zhou, Research Associate
Changhe is employing various proteomics tools to identify Arabidopsis proteins that are targeted by different bacterial effectors.
Staff
Danyu Kong, Research Assistant
Plant tissue culture and genetic transformation
Kerri Mills, Laboratory Specialist
Lab management, greenhouse and field plant management, plant tissue culture.
Current Graduate Students
Taylor Fraizer, Ph.D. student
Taylor is working on mapping rust disease resistance genes and biomass related genes in switchgrass by using the next generation sequencing approach.
Sy Traore, Ph.D. student
Sy is working on characterization of the type III effector genes in Acidovorax citrulli that causes bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) of cucurbits, a disease that threatens the cucurbit industry worldwide.
Shuchi Wu, Ph.D. student
Shuchi Wu is studying the mechanism of plant immunity. He performed large scale Arabidopsis gene expression profiling using RNA-seq method that allowed him to identify Arabidopsis genes induced by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000.
Undergraduate Researchers
Amanda Karstette
Meredith Lewis
Lab Alumni and Their Current Positions
Caitlin Burklew (Novozymes)
Jiyun Chang (Harvard College Class of 2016)
Qiang Cheng (Associate Professor, Nanjing Forestry University)
Madhavi Dere (Statistician)
Christian Hendrix (DC MedStar Washington Hospital Center)
Linkai Huang (Associate Professor, Si-chuan Agricultural University)
Zhengxing Shen (Field Trait Scientist, Ceres Inc.)
Katie Sheridan (undergraduate student, VT)
Bin Xu (Associate Professor, Nanjing Agricultural University)