Expert Directory
S. Louis Bridges Jr, MD, PhD
Physician-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Medicine - Chief of the Division of Rheumatology
Hospital for Special SurgeryRheumatoid Arthritis, Rheumatology, Biomarkers of Treatment Response, B Lymphocytes and Autoantibodies, Autoantibodies, Autoimmune Diseases, Machine Learning, Rheumatic Diseases
Dr. Bridges is Physician-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Hospital for Special Surgery, as well as Chief of the Division of Rheumatology at both HSS and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He is the Franchellie M. Cadwell Professor of Medicine at HSS and the Joseph P. Routh Professor of Rheumatic Diseases in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Bridges leads 75 full-time physicians, including 38 adult and 5 pediatric rheumatologists. They collectively provide outstanding care to patients across the full spectrum of autoimmune and inflammatory rheumatic diseases and deliver perioperative medical care to patients undergoing surgical procedures at HSS. Dr. Bridges’ academic and research career has centered on understanding the cellular, molecular, and genetic molecular mechanisms that underlie rheumatoid arthritis, its clinical manifestations, and response to treatment. In particular, he has focused on the role of B lymphocytes and autoantibodies in RA, as well as genetic influences on RA in African Americans. He and his colleagues have defined genetic differences in the MHC and non-MHC genes on susceptibility to RA and on the degree of joint damage between African Americans with RA compared to European and Asian ancestries. More recently, his research program has involved crowdsourcing to facilitate machine learning and big data approaches to answer important clinical questions in RA. In addition to his leadership roles at HSS and NYPH/WCMC, Dr. Bridges is President of the Rheumatology Research Foundation and has a concurrent role as a member of the American College of Rheumatology Executive Committee.
Mary Crow, MD
Physician-in-Chief Emerita; Director, Autoimmunity and Inflammation Research Program
Hospital for Special SurgeryLupus and APS Center of Excellence, Inflammatory Arthritis Center, Rheumatology, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Autoimmune Diseases, Lupus, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), immune system activation
Dr. Mary Crow, a rheumatologist, is physician-in-chief emerita at Hospital for Special Surgery and a professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology of the Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. She is also director of the Autoimmunity and Inflammation Research Program at HSS and co-director of the Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Research at the HSS Research Institute. Dr. Crow holds the Benjamin M. Rosen Chair in Immunology and Inflammation Research at HSS. She led the HSS Department of Medicine and the Division of Rheumatology in the Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell from 2010 to 2020. Dr. Crow’s academic and research career has focused on unraveling the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie the systemic autoimmune diseases, with a particular focus on systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. She has identified interferon-alpha, an immune system protein typically expressed in the setting of virus infection, as a key pathogenic mediator in lupus. Her laboratory continues to study the triggers of immune system activation in SLE, the molecular pathways associated with the clinical manifestations of lupus, and the mechanisms that result in disease flares. Dr. Crow’s research has identified therapeutic targets, providing the rationale for the development of novel therapeutic agents for patients with SLE. In addition to her leadership roles at HSS and WCMC/NYPH, Dr. Crow has served as president of the American College of Rheumatology, as president of the Henry Kunkel Society, and as chair or co-chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Alliance for Lupus Research and the Lupus Research Alliance from 2008 to 2019. She has been honored as an “Arthritis Hero” of the Arthritis Foundation, and in 2010 she received the Margaret D. Smith Lifetime Achievement Award of the Arthritis Foundation, New York Chapter. In 2018 she received the Presidential Gold Medal of the American College of Rheumatology, and in 2019 she was honored as a Notable Woman in Healthcare by Crain’s New York Business.
Internal Medicine, Rheumatology, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Antiphospholipid Syndrome
Dr. Jane Salmon is the Collette Kean Research Professor at Hospital for Special Surgery. She is Professor of Medicine and Professor of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs at Weill Cornell College of Medicine. Dr. Salmon’s research has focused on elucidating mechanisms of tissue injury in lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Her basic, translational and clinical studies have led to a paradigm shift in the understanding of mechanisms of pregnancy loss, cardiovascular disease and end-organ damage in patients with lupus. She identified the critical role of inflammation as a mediator of placental insufficiency and defined new treatment targets. Dr. Salmon graduated magna cum laude from New York University and earned a medical degree in 1978 from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, where she was the first woman enrolled in their Medical Scientist Training Program. She completed training in internal medicine at The New York Hospital and in rheumatology at Hospital for Special Surgery, where she currently conducts clinical and basic research studies and practices rheumatology. Dr. Salmon has served on the Board of Directors of the American College of Rheumatology and Rheumatology Research Foundation. Dr. Salmon was co-editor of Arthritis and Rheumatism and is currently an Associate Editor of Annals of Rheumatic Diseases. At Hospital for Special Surgery, she is a Director of the Lupus and APS Center of Excellence, Co-Director of the Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Research.
Rheumatology, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Pregnancy and Rheumatic Diseases, Hormones in Rheumatic Diseases, Antiphospholipid Antibodies
Dr. Lisa Sammaritano joined Hospital for Special Surgery in 1988, when she began her fellowship in rheumatic diseases. She maintains a busy clinical practice and participates in clinical research geared towards patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Antiphospholipid Antibodies. She has a particular interest and expertise in reproductive issues in rheumatic disease patients, including contraception and pregnancy.
pediatric rheumatology
Chief of Pediatric Rheumatology at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), Karen Onel, MD, cares for children and teens with arthritis and other autoimmune disorders. In particular, she diagnoses and treats: lupus, juvenile arthritis, vasculitis, uveitis (an inflammatory disorder of the eye), chronic non-infectious osteomyelitis, dermatomyositis and the periodic fever syndromes. Her goal is to work with the patient and his/her family to create a long-term care plan that will lead to improved quality of life. Dr. Onel's research focuses on gaining a greater understanding of the causes of rheumatic illnesses, as well as evaluating the safety and tolerability of new treatments. She is collaborating with other institutions to define evidence-based best treatment practices for children with JIA, SLE, and recurrent non-infectious osteomyelitis. Dr. Onel has authored numerous papers, reviews, and book chapters on pediatric rheumatology. In addition, she serves as a reviewer for several scientific journals, including Arthritis and Rheumatism, Lupus, Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, and Pediatric Rheumatology. Pediatrics, Rheumatology
Coronavirus, covid 19, Microbiology, Genetics, Biotechnology, Cancer
Joshua LaBaer is renowned for his work in proteomics and developing biomarker diagnostics. He leads ASU's COVID-19 research efforts. As executive director of the Biodesign Institute, his work emphasizes that multidisciplinary factors culminate to disease, suggesting personalized therapies and unique biomarker analysis. His team uses arrays to assess how programmable a protein is. This work also spans into epigenetics, and the capacity to modulate the activity of these proteins. LaBaer was the founder and director of Harvard's Institute of Proteomics and a chairman of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics. He is an associate editor of the Journal of Proteome Research, a member of the National Cancer Institute's Board of Scientific Advisors, chair of the Early Detection Research Network Steering Committee and recent president of the U.S. Human Proteome Organization.
insect communication, animal societies, Ecology, Honey Bee Biologist
My research focuses on the mechanisms that create organization in social insect colonies. My study subject is the honey bee, one of the most important insects on the planet. Not only do honey bees add enormous value to the crops that we produce through their pollination services, but they also serve as an important model organism for understanding how genetic and environmental influences can act on individuals to produce group-level phenomena. Currently, my research examines ways that honey bees use communication to organize their group activities. Through field work and genetic studies, I have explored how and why genetic diversity within a honey bee colony—created naturally when queens mate with many males—enhances the productivity of a colony’s foraging effort. Part of the answer lies in a more extensive use of the sophisticated waggle-dance signals that honey bees use to direct nest mates to food resources. Another recent line of research investigates how a honey bee queen produces pheromones to organize a swarm of thousands of bees as her colony reproduces by fission. At Wellesley College, I teach three biology courses, two of which include a lab: Organismal Biology and Animal Behavior. Students in these biology courses get a chance to think about the common themes that are embedded in the spectacular ways that organisms have adapted to survive and reproduce on this planet. By getting up close and personal with live organisms, the lab component of these courses gives students hands-on experience with scientific discovery. I also teach a seminar on social insect biology that gives students an opportunity to marvel at the remarkable feats of engineering and biological organization that these little creatures generate. In this seminar, we learn to truly appreciate the small things in life. My fondness for animals and my interest in their often strange strategies for success fuels the pleasure that I get from teaching these classes. Because my research addresses both basic and applied aspects of honey bee biology, I spend a good deal of time throughout the year traveling to speak at scientific conferences (such as the International Society for Behavioral Ecology and the IS for the Study of Social Insects), but I also speak often to beekeeper associations about how their practices affect the productivity of their colonies. Discussing my research with beekeepers is important because honey bee health ultimately impacts the safety of our food supply. Because my research relies heavily on observing honey bees in the field, I spend most of my summer at Wellesley College working with student researchers on new studies.
Geoffrey Westrich, MD
Orthopedic Surgeon, Professor of Clinical Orthopedic Surgery
Hospital for Special SurgeryOrthopedic Surgery, Joint Replacement Surgery, Knee Replacement, Hip Replacement, revision knee replacement, revision hip replacement, dual mobility hip implant, cementless knee replacement
Dr. Westrich is director of research emeritus in the Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement Service at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City, where he sees patients. The Hospital is consistently ranked the #1 hospital for orthopedics nationwide by U.S. News & World Report. Dr. Westrich specializes in diagnosing and treating complex injuries and diseases of the hip and knee in adults of all ages, including revision hip and knee replacement. He has published hundreds of research papers and continues to conduct studies to advance the field. His areas of special expertise include robotic-assisted hip and knee replacement; dual mobility hip replacement; complex revision hip and knee replacement; minimally invasive hip and knee replacement; the cementless knee replacement; and multimodal analgesia to control pain and reduce the need for opioid medication. He is considered a leading expert in preventing blood clots after joint replacement surgery. At HSS, Dr. Westrich is co-chair of the Infection Control Committee, co-chair of the Complex Case Review Panel and co-chair of the Thromboembolic Disease Committee. He served as president of the Eastern Orthopedic Association in 2015. With an undergraduate degree in engineering, he has worked with medical device companies to design new and improved joint replacements and surgical instrumentation.
Paul A. Offit, MD
Director of the Vaccine Education Center - Attending physician - Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP)
Children's Hospital of PhiladelphiaPhysician, Infectious Diseases, Vaccine
Paul A. Offit, MD, is Director of the Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Offit is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of virology and immunology and was a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is a founding advisory board member of the Autism Science Foundation and the Foundation for Vaccine Research, a member of the Institute of Medicine, and co-editor of the foremost vaccine text, Vaccines. He is a recipient of many awards including the J. Edmund Bradley Prize for Excellence in Pediatrics from the University of Maryland Medical School, the Young Investigator Award in Vaccine Development from the Infectious Disease Society of America, a Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health, and the Sabin Vaccine Institute Gold Medal. Dr. Offit has published more than 150 papers in medical and scientific journals in the areas of rotavirus-specific immune responses and vaccine safety. He is also the co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq®, recommended for universal use in infants by the CDC. For this achievement, Dr. Offit received the Luigi Mastroianni and William Osler Awards from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the Charles Mérieux Award from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, and was honored by Bill and Melinda Gates during the launch of their Foundation’s Living Proof Project for global health. In 2009, Dr. Offit received the President’s Certificate for Outstanding Service from the American Academy of Pediatrics. In 2011, he received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Biologics Industry Organization (BIO), the David E. Rogers Award from the American Association of Medical Colleges, the Odyssey Award from the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, and was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2012, Dr. Offit received the Distinguished Medical Achievement Award from the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and the Drexel Medicine Prize in Translational Medicine from the Drexel University College of Medicine. In 2013, he received the Maxwell Finland award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, the Distinguished Alumnus award from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the Innovators in Health Award from the Group Health Foundation. In 2014, he was elected to the board of trustees at the College of Physicians in Philadelphia, and in 2015, he was elected to the American Association of Physicians and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as being named as a Fellow for the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the American Academy for the Advancement of Science. In 2016, Dr. Offit received the Franklin Founder Award by the City of Philadelphia, The Porter Prize from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, and the Jonathan E. Rhoads Medal for Distinguished Service to Medicine from The American Philosophical Society. In 2017, he received the Defensor Scientiae Award and an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. In 2018, he was named to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Julia Shaklee Sammons, MD, MSCE
Hospital epidemiologist and Medical Director of the Department of Infection Prevention and Control
Children's Hospital of PhiladelphiaInfectious Diseases, Pediatrics
Julia Shaklee Sammons, MD, MSCE, is the Hospital epidemiologist and Medical Director of the Department of Infection Prevention and Control at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Areas of Expertise: Prevention of healthcare-associated infections, Epidemiology of pediatric C. difficile infection, Change management and implementation of quality improvement initiatives Medical School MD - Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Internship Pediatrics - The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA Residency Pediatrics - The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA Fellowship Pediatric Infectious Diseases - The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA Board Certification Pediatric Infectious Diseases Pediatrics Graduate Degree Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology (MSCE) - University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
James Melville, DDS
Oral Surgeon, Associate Professor
University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonDental Health, UTHealth School of Dentistry, oral surgery
David C. Evers, PhD
Executive Director, Chief Scientist and Co-Director Center for Mercury Studies
Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI)Wildlife, Ecology, environmenntal science, Conservation of endangered species, Exposure and effects of methylmercury
From the moment he captured his first loon on Michigan’s Seney National Wildlife Refuge, David Evers has been a champion of wildlife, incorporating innovative approaches to traditional research methods. As the founder, executive director, and chief scientist of BRI, Dr. Evers has made great strides in bringing critical ecological issues to the forefront of our nation’s and the world’s consciousness. He regularly develops collaborations and working groups, often working at regional and international scales with scientists, federal and state governmental agencies, universities and research institutes, as well as other nonprofit organizations. Dr. Evers specializes in research on ecotoxicology with an emphasis on the patterns of methylmercury and oil exposure and effects in wildlife, especially birds such as the Common Loon. Current projects include research and conservation efforts with various loon species across North America as well as assessments of mercury in fish and wildlife across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. Through BRI’s Center for Waterbird Studies, Dr. Evers oversees the largest conservation project on the Common Loon in partnership with the Ricketts Conservation Foundation. Through BRI’s Center for Mercury Studies, he oversees several ongoing national and international mercury monitoring networks and database summary efforts, including new projects and partnerships with the Fate and Transport Partnership Group of the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the International Council on Mercury as a Global Pollutant, and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. During his graduate studies, Dr. Evers worked as a field ornithologist for the Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas and as a wildlife ecologist for the Kalamazoo Nature Center. In 1991, he became executive director of the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory. In 1998, he founded BRI to further progressive wildlife research and conservation. He also holds positions as adjunct professor at both the University of Southern Maine, where he teaches ornithology, and the University of Maine at Orono. He is also the adjunct senior scientist at the University of Southern Maine's Center for Integrated and Applied Environmental technology. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and presented his research in more than 200 professional venues. Education: Ph.D., Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2001 M.S., Ecology, Western Michigan University, 1992 B.S., Wildlife Management, Michigan State University, 1984
Chemical Engineering, biomolecular engineering, Nanomaterials, Semiconductor Processing, Microsystems, Energy Conversion and Storage, Micro Energy Conversion, Catalysis
Professional Preparation • B.S. Chemical Engineering, High Honors, University of Missouri – Rolla, December 1995 • M.S. Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, May 2000 • Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, May 2005 Employment 2018-present Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University 2014-2015 Martin Luther King Jr., Visiting Associate Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2013-2017 Associate Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University 2008- 2013 Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, Yale University 2007-2008 Research Scientist, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Michigan 2005-2007 Research Investigator, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan Selected Academic and Professional Honors Smith-Cotton High School Academic Hall of Fame (1 of 3 first inaugural inductees) 2013 Yale Junior Faculty Fellowship 2011-2012 PECASE - Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2011) Yale Arthur Greer Memorial Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Publication or Research 2011 NSF CAREER Award (2010) One of < 5% of recipients in their first year of eligibility Dr. Theophilus Sorrell Fellow (National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers) 2003 Professional and Academic Memberships Electrochemical Society (ECS) American Chemical Society (ACS) Material Research Society (MRS) National Soc. of Black Engineers (Yale Dean) Resident Fellow Yale Trumbull College American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) (Secretary/Treasurer CRE Division) Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honor Society) Yale Black Graduate Network (Faculty Advisor) Eagle Scout (National Eagle Scout Association)
Nigel Taylor, PhD
Associate Member and Dorothy J. King Distinguished Investigator
Donald Danforth Plant Science Centercrop improvement, Cassava, Disease Resistance, Biofortification, RNAi and Gene Editing
When he was finishing up his PhD in Plant Biotechnology at the University of Bath, he became aware of a multi-institutional project on cassava. “Cassava is an incredibly important crop for people in the developing world, but like many people in the industrialized North, I wasn’t that familiar with it.” Cassava was considered recalcitrant—it was difficult to work with and improve. Even though it was a major staple crop, it was only barely domesticated. And because it was so difficult, it was largely ignored, a so-called orphan crop. “Only a handful of labs were working on it, and then I made a breakthrough with cassava tissue culture transformation. Suddenly, we could work on it more easily, and I received a Rockefeller grant to go to Scripps [Research Institute] where I met Roger Beachy.” When Beachy came to St. Louis to be the first president of the Danforth Center, Nigel came with him. Today, the Taylor laboratory is part of VIRCA Plus, a multi-institutional project working to improve resistance to viruses that cause cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and to increase levels of iron and zinc in the storage roots, the edible part of the plant. VIRCA Plus collaborates with research scientists, regulatory experts and communication specialists with the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Rwanda.
rhizosphere, Phenomics, X-ray imaging, Growth Modelling
The Topp laboratory deploys X-ray-based imaging and analysis of corn and other root systems to develop more robust and sustainable crops. While at the University of Georgia pursuing a genetics degree, Chris began studying plant pathogens. Interested in cutting-edge and emerging technologies, he worked as a research tech in an NSF-funded plant science lab to develop artificial chromosomes, an example of early synthetic biology. In grad school, he focused on maize, realizing that this crop could have the biggest impact: “In the U.S., there are about 90 million acres of corn planted each year. At an average density of 30,000 plants per acre, that’s 2.7 trillion corn plants. It’s been said there are more corn seeds are planted each year than stars in the Milky Way.” After launching his professional career at Duke University, Chris is today a principal investigator at the Danforth Center working to unlock the secrets of the hidden half of plants. When Chris learned about specialized 3D X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) systems for very large objects used in the aerospace industry, he saw a new potential application. In 2016, a partnership with Valent BioSciences, along with funding from the National Science Foundation, brought one of these 8-ton machines to the Danforth Center. The success of this instrument soon led to a smaller, but more powerful X-ray microscope to look at root-microbial interactions. Now the Topp lab can see the 3D subterranean world of roots nondestructively, at least for plants growing in large containers. The Topp lab’s X-ray CT and microscope facility for plant science at the Danforth Center is unique in the world.
Kristine Callis-Duehl, PhD
The Sally and Derick Driemeyer Director of Education Research and Outreach
Donald Danforth Plant Science CenterStem Education, Education Research
Kris is the Sally and Derick Driemeyer Director of Education Research and Outreach at the Danforth Center, working to bring high-quality science education to more people and to inspire the next generation of scientists. Her research program focuses on both K-12 education and Undergraduate+ education through student engagement in content, participation in authentic science practice and improvement in science communication. An important part of the Danforth Center’s mission is to inspire the next generation of scientists to help feed the world and save the planet. “Plants form the foundation of life on Earth. When the general public lacks understanding of plants, that threatens the wellbeing of us all.” Kris and her team bring cutting-edge STEM education to students throughout the St. Louis region and beyond. She explains: “The research we’re doing is to determine how to educate the most number of people the most effectively. In doing so, we want to make education accessible to everyone worldwide.” Kris cites the Internet and mobile devices as the greatest technological advances in the field of education. “Mobile devices allow knowledge to be at the fingertips of people worldwide. Even in fairly remote areas without a lot of electricity. Having information at your fingertips, education is no longer about memorizing facts, but about how knowledge is applied creatively in new and novel ways.”
Allison Miller, PhD
Member; Professor of Biology, Saint Louis University
Donald Danforth Plant Science CenterFunctional Trait Diversity and Evolution, Root-Shoot Interaction, G x E Interaction, Agro-Ecosystem Sustainability
The Miller Lab has zeroed in on long-lived crops as one possible tool to build a sustainable agricultural system. Long-lived crops, or perennials, live for many years, enriching the soil, and their deep roots combat erosion and sequester more carbon. In a world where 70% of crops are annuals, conversion of even a fraction to perennial crops would have a big environmental impact. “For years, humans have grown crops to serve human needs, often at the expense of the environment. It’s time we developed crops that can benefit the planet, as well as humans.” Allison and her team are currently trialing 12 herbaceous perennial species as candidates for crop development. It takes a long time to domesticate plants, and for longer-lived plants, it takes even longer. To speed the process, the Miller Lab is attempting early stage selection—predicting future traits from early life stage traits—an endeavor that she credits to Danforth Center resources. “The Danforth Center has incredible infrastructure. We have the computational power and know-how, unique robotic trait monitoring, the world’s best research greenhouses, expert staff, all under one roof. It makes cutting-edge research possible.” Today, as a principal investigator at the Danforth Center and professor of biology at Saint Louis University, Allison is still fascinated by the diversity of plants. She sees in them hope and potential to save the world: “Plants offer unlimited potential solutions to every major agricultural and ecological problem we are facing. We are not tapped out—we are not even close to discovering all the plant biodiversity that might help.”
Todd Mockler, PhD
Geraldine and Robert Virgil Distinguished Investigator, Member
Donald Danforth Plant Science CenterBiotic and Abiotic Interactions, crop improvement, Sustainable Bioenergy, Genomics and Data Science, Metabolic Systems and Synthetic Biology
Todd is the Geraldine and Robert Virgil Distinguished Investigator at the Danforth Center and cofounder of Benson Hill. He is renowned as one of the pioneers who helped marry big data to plant science. The Mockler Lab is working at the forefront of sorghum research, but that focus developed almost through chance. Todd was working mostly in model plants in 2012, when he was invited to attend a sorghum conference as an external observer. “Sorghum has this amazing crop with innate drought and heat tolerance—I realized I wanted to work with it.” Today, 80 percent of the Mockler Lab’s work is sorghum-focused, both for food and biofuel. The work he’s most proud of so far is the TERRA-REF project. Plant breeding is currently limited by the speed at which phenotypes can be measured and how efficiently actionable biological information can be extracted from these measurements. The TERRA-REF field scanner is an outdoor phenotyping system in Maricopa, AZ, equipped with sensors to monitor crops growing in field conditions. The data collected and analyzed in the project is being used to accelerate sorghum breeding. “In 4 years, we went from an empty field to operating the world’s largest agricultural robot,” says Todd. The project includes more than 50 researchers, 14 different entities, has sequenced 400 sorghum genomes and established a data science infrastructure and knowledge base. As the initial project winds down, that infrastructure remains, and Danforth Center colleague Andrea Eveland, Ph.D., among others, have new projects that will continue to use it.
High-Throughput Phenotyping, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Genomics, Computational Biology
Like many scientists, invested teachers became powerful mentors in Noah’s life, and helped define his career. As an undergraduate student, he started working in the lab of Dr. Jim Carrington at Oregon State University. “Before I started working in the lab, I hadn’t thought about working with plants. I became really interested in the research they were doing in the Carrington Lab, so I decided to go to graduate school and work in the lab as a PhD student,” explains Noah. At the same time, Noah began pursuing a career in plant science, a new technology was emerging in the scientific community: high-throughput DNA sequencing. “We went from sequencing a few hundred DNA molecules at a time to doing millions at a time.” A year into grad school, the lab was collecting so much data that he began learning how to program and do data analysis with a computer. “I shifted pretty hard away from lab work at that point.” He hasn’t looked back since. Today, Noah leads the Data Science Facility. His team builds computational tools that help other scientists solve big data problems. These custom tools could be anything from an algorithm, to a program, to the infrastructure that houses a particular suite of software tools. “A lot of times in science, you can’t just ask a question and use a tool that comes out of the box,” says Noah. As a result, he has made it his team’s mission to be a collaborative hub at the Danforth Center that creates tools that help bridge different areas of expertise.
Biotic and Abiotic Signaling Mechanisms, Evolution, Genomics, data science
Sona’s lab is interested in understanding how plants sense changes in their environment, like light, temperature, humidity and even microbes. As humans, we can sense that it is too cold outside and walk indoors where it is more comfortable. Plants don’t have that ability, so they have to modify what they are going to do within the environment. “The question my lab is asking is how are plants sensing a change in their surroundings and then what are some of the first changes that take place to respond?” To do this, Sona’s lab specifically looks at the proteins involved in sensing environmental changes, called G proteins. Her lab studies the signaling mechanisms of G proteins , and how that ultimately affects plant growth and development. As our environment changes and the population continues to grow, Sona’s work is becoming even more critical to feeding the world. In order to understand how a plant responds to changing environmental conditions like high temperatures, drought, or low nutrient availability, we need to know what is happening within the plant. Once we understand that, then we can improve the plants to be able to respond better to stress. In the future, this could mean that we may be able to grow crops in conditions that were previously uninhabitable. Not only could Sona’s research help plants respond to stress, it could also result in improved yield under normal conditions. “Our goal will always be to make plants survive better with lower inputs and under stressful conditions, while still maintaining or improving yield,” explains Sona.
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