Current MPS Students

	Austin J. Alt Email: austin.alt@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2021 Advisor: Rotating Department: Rotating Austin graduated from Arizona State University with a B.S. in the Biological Sciences (Genetics, Cell, & Developmental Biology) and has since joined the MPS program as a PhD student. While at ASU, his undergraduate research was focused primarily on plastid genome evolution in Cactaceae - specifically concerning patterns of ndh gene loss and chloroplast genome rearrangement in organisms such as Carnegiea gigantea (aka saguaro) and it’s phylogenetic neighbors. Current interests encompass improving society through deeper molecular understandings and genetic manipulation of plants, in order to harness natural biological processes for innovative functional applications. This includes objectives such as bioremediation and crop development, as well as metabolic engineering to enhance bioenergy and medicine.
	Adrienne Andrews Email: adrienne.andrews@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2022
	Chase Baerlocher Email: chase.baerlocher@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2022
	Jeremy Boutin Email: jeremy.boutin@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2021
	Nate Boyer Email: nathaniel.boyer@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2017 Advisor: John Peters Department: Institute of Biological Chemistry I joined the MPS program at WSU after graduating from the University of Missouri with degrees in Biology and Philosophy. My primary research interests are to understand plant-microbe interactions to inform biotech engineering efforts toward sustainable agriculture. My dissertation project investigates the biochemistry and structural biology mediating signal transduction in the regulation of biological nitrogen fixation. Successful completion of this project will inform engineering efforts to generate nitrogen bio-fertilizers. My hobbies outside of science include hiking, biking, and generally enjoying the outdoors. Grants and Awards: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Education and Workforce Development Pre-doctoral fellowship recipient. Awarded $144,524,.00 for three years
	Tyler Chapman Email: tyler.chapman@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2021
	Agasthya Baby Chenna prakash Email: a.chennaprakash@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2022
	Abigail Eaker Email: abigail.eaker@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2019 Advisor: Maren Friesen Department: Plant Pathology
	Karl Effertz Email: karl.effertz@wsu.edu Enrolled: Spring 2020 Advisor: Robert Brueggeman Department: Crop and Soil Sciences The first two years of my Ph.D. were spent at North Dakota State University before moving to WSU with the Brueggeman lab in 2020. My research projects revolve around a cluster of defense genes responsible for broad spectrum resistance and isolate-specific susceptibility in the barley – Pyrenophora teres f. teres pathosystem. My research interests are co-evolution, plant-microbe-environment interactions, genetics, and application of genetics/genomics in agriculture and forestry. Outside of the lab and greenhouse I love getting outdoors and exploring the beautiful pacific northwest. Publications: Effertz, K., Clare, S.J., Harkins, S.M., and Brueggeman, R.S. (Accepted). Understanding plant-pathogen interactions in net blotch infection of cereals. In Achieving Durable Disease Resistance in Cereals, R. Oliver, ed. (Cambridge, UK: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing Limited), pp. 1-36. Tamang, P., Richards, J. K., Solanki, S., Ameen, G., Sharma Poudel, R., Deka, P., Effertz, K., Clare, S., Hegsted, J., Bezbaruah, A. N., Li, X., Horsley, R. D. Friesen, T. L., Brueggeman, R. S. (2021). The barley HvWRKY6 transcription factor is required for resistance against Pyrenohpora teres f. teres. Front. Genet. doi: 0.3389/fgene.2020.601500 Smertenko, A., Clare, S. J., Effertz, K., Parish, A., Ross, A., Schmidt, S. (2020) A guide to plant TPX2-like and WAVE-DAMPENED2-like proteins. J. of Exp. Bot. doi: 10.1093/jxb/eraa513 Brueggeman, R.S., Solanki, S., Ameen, G., Effertz, K., Poudel, R.S., and Karakaya, A. (2020). Fungal diseases affecting barley. In Achieving Sustainable Cultivation of Barley, G. Fox, and C.Li, eds. (Cambridge, UK: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing Limited), pp. 1–58. Ssemadaali,S.A., Effertz K., Singh, P., Kolyvushko O., and Ramamoorthy, S. (2016). Identification of heterologous Torque Teno Viruses in humans and swine. Scientific reports 6 (1), 1-10
	Joel Essien Email: joel.essien@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2021 Advisor: Sanja Roje Department: Institute of Biological Chemistry
	Augusta Finzel Email: augusta.finzel@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2022
	Isabella Gabriel Email: isabella.gabriel@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2020 Advisor: Amit Dhingra Department: Horticulture
	Andrew Gonzalez Email: andrew.gonzalez1@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2020 Advisor: rotating Department: TBD
	John Hadish Email: john.hadish@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2017 Advisor: Stephen Ficklin Department: Horticulture John is a fourth year graduate student in the MPS program. He graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa in the spring of 2016. His primary scientific interest is molecular genetics. John enjoys running, reading for fun, and cooking.
	Andrew Herr Email: andrew.herr@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2019 Advisor: Arron Carter Department: Crop and Soil Science
	Kathleen Hickey Email: kathleen.hickey@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2018 Advisor: Andrei Smertenko Department: Institute of Biological Chemistry I joined the MPS program in the Fall of 2018. I worked in Dr. Smertenko’s Lab as an undergraduate, graduating from WSU. I am now a Ph.D. candidate in the Smertenko lab focusing on improving breeding of drought resistance wheat. My primary research interest is in how plants balance production and degradation of ROS produced during abiotic stresses. When I’m not in the lab, I enjoy reading, sewing and embroidery work, and cooking. I also enjoy backpacking and camping in the summer; skiing and snowshoeing in the winter.
	Vincent James Email: Vincent.james@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2022 Advisor:Dr. Michael Knoblauch Department: School of Biological Sciences
	Brandon Johnson Email: brandon.johnson4@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2018
	Se Eun Jung Email: seeun.jung@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2022
	Itsuhiro Ko Email: itsuhiro.ko@wsu.edu Enrolled: Spring 2022 Advisor: Cynthia Gleason Department: Plant Pathology My name is Itsuhiro Ko, from Japan (feel free to call me “Ko”!). I love tennis and use to play bass guitar in a band. (Love playing Nintendo games as well!). I also play a Japanese traditional martial art called Kendo. I finished my B.S. degree in Plant Sciences at the Pennsylvania State University researching the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) event in parasitic plants in Dr. Claude W. dePamphilis’s lab. Since then, I have a keen interest in molecular interaction between plants and pathogens. After graduating, I received an offer from the University of Cambridge, UK, to start my MPhil research of plant-nematode interaction in Dr. Sebastian Eves van-den Akker’s group. I also hold a minor degree in Entrepreneurship at Penn State and want to start up a new venture involved in biotechnology, agriculture, and horticulture. Now, I’m joining Dr. Cynthia Gleason’s lab at WSU as a Ph.D. student, continuing to study plant nematode interaction and wanting to translate fundamental biology into real agriculture solutions.
	Sean McGuire Email: sean.mcguire@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2020 Advisor: rotating Department: TBD
	Qingyan Meng Email: qingyan.meng@wsu.edu Enrolled: Spring 2017 Advisor: Norman Lewis Department: Institute of Biological Chemistry Qingyan Meng, a 5th year Ph.D. graduate student in the Molecular Plant Science program at Washington State University, is carrying out her PhD program research in Dr. Norman G. Lewis’ Laboratory in the Institute of Biological Chemistry. Her research is focused on the enzymology, crystallography and underlying biochemical mechanisms of various Dirigent protein subfamily members, each differentially providing entry into distinct plant phenol natural product classes (such as lignans, lignans, aromatic diterpenoids, and pterocarpans). These studies, done in collaboration with other inter-disciplinary scientists in the Lewis Lab, PNNL and Stanford SSRL, are revealing both the commonalities and distinctions between different sub-family members, and whether Dirigent protein actions include proteinaceous complexes in planta. Her most recent work was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (Meng et al. 2020). Publications: Meng, Qingyan, Syed G. A. Moinuddin, Sung-Jin Kim, Diana L. Bedgar, Michael A. Costa, Dennis G. Thomas, Robert P. Young, Clyde A. Smith, John R. Cort, Laurence B. Davin, and Norman G. Lewis. 2020. “Pterocarpan Synthase (PTS) Structures Suggest a Common Quinone Methide–Stabilizing Function in Dirigent Proteins and Proteins with Dirigent-like Domains.” The Journal of Biological Chemistry 295(33):11584–601. doi: 10.1074/jbc.RA120.012444.
	Chun-Yeung Ng Email: chun-yeung.ng@wsu.edu Enrolled: Spring 17 Advisor: Thomas Okita Department: Institute of Biological Chemistry
	Niharika Nonavinakere Chandrakanth Email: n.nonavinakerechand@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2020 Advisor: Laura Bartley Department: Institute of Biological Chemistry
	Dylan Oates Email: dylan.oates@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2019 Advisor: Karen Sanguinet Department: Crop and Soil Sciences Dylan joined the MPS program as a PhD student in August of 2019 under the advisory of Dr. Karen Sanguinet. He received his undergraduate in biology with a minor in chemistry at Nebraska Wesleyan University. During his time as an undergraduate he was employed by the USDA-ARS under the supervision of Dr. Scott Sattler, where he researched alternative bioenergy by targeting monolignol biosynthesis in sorghum. Dylan continued in the field of plant science by obtaining a MSc in Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His graduate research was on understanding the systematic, functional, and molecular genetics underlying organ development in maize. He is passionate about studying the physiological and molecular genetic processes that regulate cold response in wheat. By researching vernalization and photoperiod mechanisms involved in cold response, Dylan and the Sanguinet’s lab hope to reveal how these complex networks work. These discoveries may lead to new and innovative approaches in crop bioengineering to help lessen the impact of climate change on agriculture.
	Jessica Ortiz Email: jessica.ortiz@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2015 Advisor: Michael Neff Department: Crop and Soil Sciences I earned my B.S. in Biochemistry at University of California, Riverside in 2011 while doing Systematics research on parasitic chalcid wasps of the genus Orasema. I then moved on to earning a M.S. in Chemistry at California State University, Los Angeles in 2016. During my master’s degree I did molecular genetics research to elucidate the functional role of lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) on senescence in Arabidopsis. I am currently interested in using molecular, genetic, biochemical, bioinformatic and biotechnological approaches to understand the role of AT-HOOK MOTIF NUCLEAR LOCALIZED (AHL) genes in plant growth and developments in Arabidopsis and Brachypodium. I aim to investigate the structure-function relationships of AHLs in Arabidopsis via physical and genetic interaction analyses. I am also interested in exploring the potential role of AHLs in the model monocot Brachypodium and their effect on seedling and root development and flowering time. Lastly, I work to testing whether the development of brassinosteroid receptor mutants in tetraploid wheat is suitable for conferring a dwarf variety with improved yield and lodging.
	Alyssa Parish Email: alyssa.parish@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2017 Advisor: Andrei Smertenko Department: Institute of Biological Chemistry Publications: Zwack, P.J., De Clercq, I., Howton, T.C., Hallmark, H.T., Hurny, A., Keshishian, E.A., Parish, A.M., Benkova, E., Mukhtar, M.S., Van Breusegem, F., Rashotte, A.M. (2016) Cytokinin Reponse Factor 6 Represses Cytokinin-Associated Genes during Oxidative Stress. Plant Physiology. Doi:10.1104/pp.16.00415.
	Janice Parks Email: janice.parks@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2020 Advisor: Maren Friesen Department: Plant Pathology Janice graduated from Pacific University in Forest Grove, OR with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Spanish in May 2020. During her time as an undergraduate she published a paper in IJURCA, was the first author of a report for a biodynamic winery, and a coauthor on a report for Clean Water Services. She is interested in studying beneficial plant-microbe interactions in order to determine how they can be utilized to improve agricultural sustainability and efficiency, and soil health. Publications and Reports: Madsen I, Parks J, Friesen M, Clark R. Increasing biodiversity and land use efficiency through pea-canola intercropping (peaola). 2022. Frontiers in Soil Science. Parks, J.M., Morford, I., Anderson, V., Schnorr, J., and Sardinia, L.M. 2020. Identification of yeast species throughout fermentation in samples from a biodynamic winery. Report to Montinore Estate Winery. Parks, J.M., Askew, N., Creagh-Grave, J.W. and Nyerges, G. 2020. Presence and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes at an organic goat dairy farm. International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities. 12(1):1–12. doi: http://doi.org/10.7710/2168-0620.0309. Andrews, A., AnDyke, K., Askew, N., Baclay, C., Bailey, G., Beadell, B., Castro, M., Fujiuchi, A., Galang, B., Hoiland, J., Jones, A., Lacaden, N., Knecht, K., Lee, A., Mayer, M., Morford, I., Osbrink-McInroy, A., Parks, J., Phan, D., Riehlman, E., Rivera, K., Rosebrook, C., Shankar, R., Sutton, C., Tanaka, L., Tran, H., Tran, K., Uehara, T., Wagner, K., Yavuz, E., and Sardinia, L.M. 2019. Comparison of microbial metabolic diversity at four locations through the flowpath at Fernhill Treatment Wetlands: A report to Clean Water Services. Report to Clean Water Services in Forest Grove, OR. Grants and Awards: WA Oilseed Commission Grant -Awarded $19,570.80 for research (2023) Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Graduate Student Grant - Awarded $29.982.00 for research (2021).
	Luigi Peracchi Email: luigi.peracchi@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2018 Advisor: Karen Sanguinet Department: Crop and Soil Sciences
	Montana Rayburn Email: montana.rayburn@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2021 Advisor: Rotating Department: Rotating Grants and Awards: Idaho INBRE fellowship: Received an INBRE research grant and presented research poster ("The potential role of Solanum sisymbriifolium cystatin-like protein in plant defense to Globodera pallida"), at the Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research - 2020 Received the University of Idaho Alumni Excellence award - 2020 Received an INBRE grant to conduct research in industry and presented a research poster ("Correlation between E. coli and total organic carbon as a potential indicator for surface water contamination") at the Idaho INBRE conference - 2018
	Miguel Rosas Email: miguel.rosas2@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2018 Advisor: Karen Sanguinet Department: Crop and Soil Sciences Miguel Rosas is a first year rotating PhD student in the Plant Molecular Sciences Program. Miguel earned his Bachelors of Science in Biology from California State University San Marcos. He is currently studying brassinosteroid inactivation genes. In his spare time Miguel likes to go backpacking with friends, have bonfires at the beach, go on hikes with his dog, read science-fiction novels, and enjoy pizza with his family.
	Rachel Snyder Email: rachel.snyder@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2016 Advisor: Mechthild Tegeder Department: School of Biological Sciences Publications: Lu MZ, Snyder R, Grant J, Tegeder M. (2020) Manipulation of sucrose phloem and embryo loading affects pea leaf metabolism, carbon and nitrogen partitioning to sinks as well as seed storage pools. The Plant Journal 101: 217-236. doi: 10.1111/tpj.14533 The SV, Snyder R, Tegeder M. (2021) Targeting nitrogen metabolism and transport processes to improve plant nitrogen use efficiency. Frontiers in Plant Science 11: 628366. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.628366
	Joel Sowders Email: joel.sowders@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2018 Advisor: Kiwamu Tanaka Department: Plant Pathology Publications: Jewell JB, Sowders JM, He R, Willis MA, Gang DR, Tanaka K (2019) Extracellular ATP shapes a defense-related transcriptome both independently and along with other defense signaling pathways. Plant Physiol. 179: 1144-1158 doi:10.1104/pp.18.01301
	Vaclav Svoboda Email: vaclav.svoboda@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2017 Advisor: Helmut Kirchhoff Department: School of Biological Sciences
	Shelby Tisinai Email: shelby.tisinai@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2019 Advisor: Jeremiah Busch Department: School of Biological Sciences
	Ruth Uwugiaren Email: ruth.uwugiaren@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2021 Advisor: Michael Pumphrey Department: Crop and Soil Sciences Ruth Uwugiaren joined the MPS program as a Ph.D. student in 2021. She is interested in plant molecular genetics and her Ph.D. research will be focused on Spring wheat improvement via genetics and breeding. She did both her BSc and MSc in Biochemistry. Before moving to the US, she worked with the cassava breeding team at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Nigeria which focuses on using molecular tools to improve disease resistance thereby increasing yield as well as enhanced dry matter, pro-vitamin A, and low cyanide content. Publications: Esperance CODIJA, Bunmi Olasanmi, Paterne Agre, Ruth Uwugiaren, Adenike D. Ige, Ismail Yusuf Rabbi. (Accepted). Selection of resistance to cassava mosaic disease in Africa cassava germplasm using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism markers. South African Journal of Science. Rabbi Ismail Yusuf, Kayondo Siraj Ismail, Bauchet Guillaume, Yusuf Muyideen, Aghogho Cynthia Idhigu, Ogunpaimo Kayode, Uwugiaren Ruth, Smith Ikpan Andrew, Peteti Prasad, Agbona Afolabi, Parkes Elizabeth, Lydia Ezenwaka, Wolfe Marnin, Jannink Jean-Luc, Egesi Chiedozie, Kulakow Peter. (2020) Genome-wide association analysis reveals new insights into the genetic architecture of defensive, agro-morphological and quality-related traits in cassava. Plant Molecular Biology.
	Liam Vance Email: liam.vance@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2021
	Joel Velasco Email: joel.velasco@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2017 Advisor: Bernd (Mark) Lange Department: Institute of Biological Chemistry
	Camile Wagstaff Email: camille.wagstaff@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2021 Advisor: David Crowder Department: Entomology Grants and Awards: Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Fellowship recipient of Floyd Rogers Memorial Scholarship 2021-2023 Publications: Jarugula S, Wagstaff C, Mitra A, Crowder D, Gang D, Rayapati N. First reports of Beet curly top virus, Citrus yellow vein-associated virus, and Hop latent viroid in industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) in Washington State. Plant Dis. 2023 Feb 21. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-12-22-2981-PDN. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36802299. Additional Information: Here
	Marita White Email: marita.white@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2022 Advisor: Kim Campbell Department: Crop and Soil Sciences
	Xin Xin Email: xin.xin@wsu.edu Enrolled: Fall 2018 Advisor: Michael Neff Department: Crop and Soil Sciences