Michael B
- Research Program Mentor

PhD at University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

Expertise

Molecular biology, molecular genetics, biochemistry,

Bio

I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. My research focuses on the molecular and genetic regulation of growth and development in plants. I recently finished my PhD in plant biology at the University of California, Berkeley, where I studied nucleotide metabolism and its coordination with ribosome biogenesis. Before that, I studied protein digestibility in sorghum at Purdue University during my undergrad. In my free time, I'm an avid reader, painter, and competitive dancer. When I'm not in the art or dance studio, though, I love to travel and enjoy the outdoors.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Synthesis of drought-relevant RNA-seq datasets

Climate change threatens the productivity and resilience of agriculture around the world, so many plant biologists are interested in understanding how crops respond to environmental changes like drought. This means there tons of publicly available RNA-seq and related datasets that can be mined and synthesized to identify things researchers may have missed. How does one gene's expression change from between conditions, locations, or teams? How can an older dataset be reinterpreted within the context of more recent findings?

Coding skills

R, C++

Languages I know

German, intermediate

Teaching experience

I have over 13 years of teaching experience working with students ages 5-65. I've worked with students with a wide range of abilities in subjects including chemistry, biology, physics, math, literature, piano, and dance. I taught introductory and advanced genetics coursework at the University of California, Berkeley, worked as an instructor at a dance studio, and mentored undergraduate and graduate students in independent research projects.

Credentials

Work experience

University of Madison, Wisconsin (2020 - Current)

Postdoctoral Researcher

Dow AgroSciences (2016 - 2016)

Research Intern

AgRelient Genetics (2014 - 2014)

GM Trait Conversion Intern

The Plant Cell (2023 - Current)

Assistant Features Editor

Education

Purdue University

BS Bachelor of Science (2016)

Genetics; Biochemistry

University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

PhD Doctor of Philosophy (2020)

Molecular Biology

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Michael B - Research Program Mentor