Research

Current projects

1. Elucidating the role of understudied plant oxylipin subbranches
   Funded by the RIT Grantwriters’ Bootcamp Workshop Program
   Student leads: To be identified

2. Mathematical modeling of plant oxylipin biosynthesis
   A collaboration with Dr. Lucia Carichino
   Funded by the RIT College of Science Dean’s Cross-Disciplinary Research Initiation Grant
   Student leads: Joe Cain

3. Understanding the effect of domestication on vegetable oxylipin chemistry
   Student leads: To be identified

4. Cataloging oxylipin-related genes in Cannabis
   Student lead: Mariah Robertson

5. Characterizing bacterial community signals effects on plant oxylipidome
   A collaboration with Dr. Michael Savka
   Student leads: Shui Li Eu-Balint and Hazel Civalier

6. Identifying genetic modifers of the maize oxylipin pathway
   Funded by the RIT College of Science Dean’s Research Initiation Grant
   Student leads: To be identified

7. Deciphering the role of plant oxylipins in the rhizosphere microbiome
   Student leads: To be identified

8. Protecting maize production by phage therapy against bacterial pathogens
   A collaboration with Dr. Julie Thomas
   Student leads: To be identified

9. Discovering maize inhibitors and inducers of bacterial quorum sensing
   A collaboration with Dr. Michael Savka
   Student leads: To be identified

10. Scrutinizing the role of plastics on plant chemistry and defenses
    A collaboration with Dr. Carlos Diaz-Acosta
    Student leads: to be identified

11. Analyzing protein evolutionary history of oxylipin receptors
    A collaboration with Dr. Gregory Babbitt
    Student leads: to be identified

Resources available in lab

Analytical:

• SCIEX QTRAP 6500+ Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)
• HPLC fraction collector
• 2017 NIST chemical library
• Omni Bead Ruptor with liquid nitrogen cooling
• Nitrogen Evaporator
• Scanning Spectrophotometer
• Precision Analytical Balance
• Buchi Rotavapor

Molecular Biology:

• ThermoFisher Quant Studio 3 real-time thermocycler
• Applied Biosystems Veriti gradient thermocycler
• hybridization oven

Organismal:

• High intensity light growth chamber
• Greenhouse space
• Field space
• Growth shelves
• Insect rearing incubator
• Forced-air jacketed heated incubator
• Biosaftey Cabinet

Additional resources available at RIT

• Chemical analysis
• Computational resources
• Next-generation sequencing
• Microscopy