Mentors Associated with Interdisciplinary UBRP-CT
Dr. Kobus Barnard
Computer Science, BIO5 Institute
kobus@email.arizona.edu -
Research: My research interests include object recognition and image understanding, the application of computer vision to the organization and effective use of large image collections, physics based vision, and colour issues in vision and image reproduction.
Dr. Judith Brown
Plant Sciences, BIO5 Institute
jbrown@ag.arizona.edu - 621-1402/1230
Research: Our research focuses on the biology, molecular taxonomy, and diversification of ssDNA plant viruses in the genus Begomovirus (family Geminiviridae). These viruses and their whitefly vector have recently emerged in agro-ecosystems in the tropics/subtropics, but they are also important in the US Sunbelt state. Our work has contributed to the development of the ''biotype concept'', which differentiates vector populations based on biotic differences in the vector that influence the epidemiology of these virus diseases. We apply molecular sequence and population genetics approaches for differentiating biotypes/haplotypes of this species complex. Finally, we are exploring the mechanisms involved in whitefly-mediated virus transmission using genomics and proteomics tools.
Dr. Vicki Chandler
BIO5 Institute, Plant Science, Molecular & Cellular Biology
chandler@ag.arizona.edu - 626-4272
Research: My lab studies the regulation of gene expression; specifically we are investigating mechanisms of gene silencing. We are interested in paramutation, a process in which one parental gene communicates a change to the other parental copy of the gene. This change is remembered in the progeny, even those progeny that do not inherit the parental copy originally directing the change. Gene interactions in parents that affect gene function in progeny could contribute to unexpected inheritance patterns that would complicate identifying the genes involved in complex human diseases. For the past 20 years we have studied maize (corn), but more recently we are expanding our approaches to animal and human cells. We have demonstrated that communication between genes is mediated by unique tandem repeats (identical or nearly identical adjacent strands of DNA) through a RNA-directed mechanism that reduces gene expression, but does not involve changes in the genes DNA sequence. Key Words: genetics, molecular biology, genomics, epigenetics
Dr. Anna Dornhaus
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, BIO5 Institute
dornhaus@email.arizona.edu - 626-5565
Research: Social insects (bees and ants) and their methods ofcommunication, decision making, task allocation and division oflabor are the focus of my research; this involves both lab andfield experiments, observation and filming of behavior, andcomputational modeling.
Dr. Brian Enquist
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
benquist@u.arizona.edu - 626-3329
Research: How functional and physiological attributes of organisms influences large scale ecological and evolutionary patterns observed in populations, ecological communities, landscapes, and ecosystems.
Dr. Jeremiah Hackett
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, BIO5 Institute
hackettj@email.arizona.edu - 621-7514
Research: My research interests are in genome evolution of microbial eukaryotes,
particularly marine organisms.
Dr. Martha Hawes
Plant Pathology/MCB
mhawes@u.arizona.edu - 621-5490/1828
Research: Plant microbe interactions; cellular & molecular aspects of recognition between soil borne pathogens and plant roots.
Dr. Travis Huxman
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; Director, UA Biosphere2 and B2 Earthscience
huxman@email.arizona.edu - 520-626-1229
Research: Focus is on the evolution of plant functional traits (especially for desert species) along with plant and ecosystem response to global change.
Dr. John Kececioglu
Computer Science, BIO5 Institute
kece@cs.arizona.edu - 621-4526
Research: Our research focuses on the development of robust algorithms and software
for computational biology, in particular for aligning DNA and protein
sequences, discovering regulatory elements, finding repetitive motifs,
sequencing DNA, and predicting secondary structure.
Dr. Joanna Monti-Masel
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, BIO5 Institute
masel@u.arizona.edu - 626-9888
Research: Change in the rate of evolution, evolutionary properties of canalization and the replication of prions
Dr. Marc Orbach
Plant Sciences, BIO5 Institute
orbachmj@ag.arizona.edu - 621-3764
Research: Fungal genomics and fungal pathogen-host interactions. Our focus is on interactions between fungal pathogens and their hosts. We work with Magnaporthe grisea, a pathogen of rice, and Coccidioides immitis, the Valley fever fungus. We are taking a whole genome approach to identify and characterize pathogen genes important for infection and disease. Key Words: genetics, genomics, host-pathogen interactions
Dr. Barry Pryor
Plant Pathology, BIO5 Institute
bmpryor@ag.arizona.edu - 626-5312
Research: Biological and cultural control of disease in field, tree, and vegetable crops; seed pathology; phylogenetic analysis and species concepts; secondary fungal metabolites; industrial and medical mycology.
Dr. Sudha Ram
Management Information Systems, BIO5 Institute
ram@eller.arizona.edu - 621-2748
Research: Sudha Ram's research focuses on enterprise data management. Specifically,
we investigate the use of Web 2.0 in linking diverse databases, use of
social networking tools for data integration, data provenance, and semantic
interoperability.
Dr. Dennis Ray
Plant Sciences
dtray@u.arizona.edu - 621-7612/1977
Research: Domestication and genetics of new crop plants.
Dr. Karen Schumaker
Plant Sciences, BIO5 Institute
schumake@ag.arizona.edu - 621-9635 (O); 621-8910 (L)
Research: Understanding mechanisms controlling calcium-mediated plant growth and
development, identifying mechanisms controlling plant adaptation to abiotic
stress and identifying transcriptional regulatory networks controlling
female gametophyte development
Dr. Frans Tax
Molecular & Cellular Biology, BIO5 Institute
fetax@u.arizona.edu - 626-1186
Research: Developmental cell signaling and pattern formation in plants: how plants organize their leaves, stems, flowers and roots.
Dr. Hans VanEtten
Plant Pathology, BIO5 Institute
vanetten@ag.arizona.edu - 621-9355
Research: Elucidation of the specific molecular properties that allow pathogenic fungi to overcome natural resistance mechanisms in plants.
Dr. Elizabeth Vierling
Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, BIO5 Institute
vierling@u.arizona.edu - 621-1601/3977
Research: Molecular biology and genetics, protein biochemistry, microarrays, transgenic plants-we use all these approaches to study the function of molecular chaperones and the response of organisms, in particular plants, to stress. Key Words: Arabidopsis, protein folding disease, recombinant DNA, gene expression, protein function
Dr. Rod Wing
Plant Sciences, BIO5 Institute
rwing@ag.arizona.edu - 626-9595
Research: Interests include: plant genomics, using high throughout DNA sequencing, physical and genetic mapping, BAC library construction, bioinformatics to study crop plants, especially the cereals (rice, corn, barley, sorghum). I am also interested in the process of plant abscission-a universal process whereby the plants shed their organs such as fruit, flowers, and leaves. Here we use the tomato jointless system to study abscission zone development.
Dr. Michael Worobey
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, BIO5 Institute
worobey@email.arizona.edu - 626-3456
Research: My lab uses an evolutionary approach to understand the origins,emergence and control of pathogens, in particular RNA viruses and retrovirusessuch as HIV and influenza virus. I integrate fieldwork; theory and methodology;molecular biology; and (especially) molecular evolutionary analysis ifgene sequences in a phylogenetic framework.
Dr. Ramin Yadegari
Plant Sciences, Molecular & Cellular Biology, BIO5 Institute
yadegari@ag.arizona.edu - 621-1616
Research: Molecular Genetics of Developmental Regulatory Pathways in Arabidopsis. We are interested in understanding the gene-regulatory processes that
mediate fertilization and initiation of seed development. The plant life
cycle alternates between a diploid sporophyte generation and a haploid
gametophyte generation. The angiosperm female gametophyte is critical to the
reproductive process. It is the structure within which egg cell production
and fertilization take place. We are using a combination of expression-based
analyses and genetic resources of Arabidopsis to identify major
gene-regulatory networks involved in differentiation of the female
gametophyte cell types. Similarly, using biochemical, molecular and genetic
approaches, we are identifying components of the Polycomb-group complexes
that mediate epigenetic repression of gene expression before fertilization.