The University of Georgia Plant Center
Faculty at the Plant Center
Maor Bar-Peled
Plant Biology/ CCRC
Complex carbohydrates synthesis and regulation; biochemistry and molecular biology.
peled@ccrc.uga.edu
Jeff Bennetzen
Genetics Department
Comparative genomics in cereals and allied species: the molecular mechanisms responsible for genomic structural change; the relationships between evolved genome structure and gene function; the identification of genetic diversity that can be used for the study, preservation and improvement of crop plants and their wild relatives.
maize@uga.edu
H. Roger Boerma
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
My research interests are in the area of soybean breeding and genetics. Presently, I am investigating the genetics of disease, nematode, and insect resistance, with emphasis on the use of marker-assisted selection.
rboerma@uga.edu
E. Charles Brummer
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Forage and Bioenergy Crops Breeding and Genetics
brummer@uga.edu
John Burke
Department of Plant Biology
jmburke@plantbio.uga.edu
Peng W. Chee
Crop & Soil Sciences, Tifton Campus
pwchee@arches.uga.edu
Sarah Covert
School of Forest Resources
Forest biotechnology; molecular mechanisms of fungal plant pathogenesis; tree responses to fungal infection.
covert@uga.edu
R. Kelly Dawe
Department of Plant Biology and Genetics
In my research, maize is used as a model system for studying meiotic kinetochores. I am interested in both the cell biology and the genetics of the maize meiotic kinetochore. Cell biological studies involve three-dimensional light microscopy of centromere and kinetochore components, as well as molecular studies of kinetochore proteins. Genetics studies focus on recently identified mutants that affect the formation of unusual kinetochores known as neocentromeres. These and other mutants will be used to clone kinetochore proteins by transposon tagging.
kelly@plantbio.uga.edu
Jeffrey Dean
School of Forest Resources
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Adjunct)
Center for Applied Genetic Technologies
My research interest are in the general areas of biochemical and molecular genetic aspects of plant growth, development and responses to the environment; metal uptake and metabolism, particularly with regard to iron and copper, in plants, fungi and bacteria; phytoremediation processes to take up heavy metal contaminants or degrade organic xenobiotic compounds;
and the application of enzymes to industrial processes, with particular emphasis on plant biomass conversion, delignification, fiber processing and recycling. Current laboratory projects include structure-function relationships in multicopper oxidases and the physiological roles played by these enzymes in plants, fungi and bacteria; functional genomic studies of wood formation in tree stems and the responses of tree roots to environmental and nutritional stresses; genomic responses of plants exposed to soil-contaminating munitions, such as TNT and RDX; and the role of
ethylene biosynthetic enzymes in the formation of undesirable reaction wood in trees.
jeffdean@uga.edu
C. Michael Deom
Department of Plant Pathology
Plant virology, biochemical and molecular mechanisms required for the cell-to-cell movement of virus progeny and effects of virus movement on host range; molecular analysis of plant virus glycoproteins; genetically engineered approaches to developing virus disease resistance.
deom@uga.edu
Katrien Devos
Crop and Soil Sciences and Plant Biology
My lab conducts research on comparative genomics in cereals, in particular Triticeae cereals and millets. We study the structural and functional changes genomes and genes undergo during evolution. In addition, we conduct mapping and biodiversity studies in millets to enhance the agronomic qualities of these crops to the benefit of developing countries.
kdevos@uga.edu
Scott Gold
Department of Plant Pathology
Molecular biology of plant-fungal pathogen interactions.
sgold@uga.edu
Michael G. Hahn
Department of Plant Biology and Complex Carbohydrate Research Center
The research in my laboratory is focused in two areas: the elucidation of signal transduction mechanisms in plant cells; and the study of plant cell wall polysaccharides using monoclonal antibodies.
hahn@ccrc.uga.edu
Steven Knapp
CAGT/Crop and Soil Sciences
sjknapp@uga.edu
Jim Leebens-Mack
Department of Plant Biology
Plant Systematics and Evolutionary Biology
jleebensmack@plantbio.uga.edu
Rodney Mauricio
Department of Genetics
Ecological and evolutionary genetics of natural plant populations. The research in my laboratory focuses on understanding the origin and maintenance of genetic variation, particularly with regard to traits conferring resistance to herbivores and pathogens. My approach is to integrate field experiments with molecular and population genetic techniques to learn the fitness effects of traits and the selective histories of the genes that underlie these traits.
mauricio@uga.edu
Russell Malmberg
Department of Plant Biology
We are interested in the broad areas of evolutionary genetics and of bioinformatics. Within plant evolution our major interest is in the role that epistatic interactions play in plant populations. We use natural populations of Arabidopsis to study interactions among genes as a function of genetic distance between populations. In bioinformatics we have projects related to gene family evolution, and in the use of stochastic grammars to predict RNA structure.
e-mail to Russell Malmberg
Richard B. Meagher
Department of Genetics
The laboratory examines the molecular genetics and evolution of plant gene expression. Actin and actin-binding proteins like profilin are encoded by ancient gene families in plants. Recent experiments have shown that the diverse actin genes are differentially expressed in unique subsets of cell types, tissues, and organs of Arabidopsis and that the actin proteins are functionally different. A separate project focuses on the central role of the differentially expressed plant poly (A)-binding protein family in building the post-transcriptional apparatus. Mechanisms for the phytoremediation of heavy metal pollution are being explored. Plants which metabolize ionic- and methyl-mercury have been engineered.
meagher@uga.edu
Scott Merkle
School of Forest Resources
Somatic embryogenesis and genetic transformation of forest trees.
smerkle@uga.edu
Debra Mohnen
Complex Carbohydrate Research Center
The study of plant cell wall polysaccharide biosynthesis. Current emphasis is on studying the enzyme that synthesizes homogalacturonan, a major component of pectin in the cell wall.
dmohnen@ccrc.uga.edu
Campbell J. Nairn
Warnell School of Forest Resources
Current research areas include the molecular biology and genetics of tree growth and wood development. Additional areas of interest are molecular evolution of genes and gene families, plant systematics and
transgenic technologies.
jnairn@forestry.uga.edu
Peggy Ozias-Akins
Department of Horticulture, Tifton
Genetic improvement of peanut, pearl millet, and bermuda grass facilitated by the application of molecular techniques, including molecular markers and transformation; molecular genetic analysis of apomixis in Pennisetum.
ozias@tifton.uga.edu
Wayne A. Parrott
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Development of advanced technology for genetic engineering of crop genes, and deployment strategies for transgenes.
wparrott@uga.edu
Andy Paterson
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Crop plant genomics and genome evolution, comparisons of crop genomes with their wild relatives, sequencing sorghum as a representative.
paterson@plantbio.uga.edu
Harold Scherm
Department of Plant Pathology
Etiology and integrated management of diseases of fruit crops. Theoretical and applied epidemiology.
scherm@uga.edu
Ron Walcott
Department of Plant Pathology
Seed Pathology: Development of molecular diagnostic assays for detecting seedborne fungi and bacteria. Biology of seed infection and factors contributing to pathogen survival in seeds. Impact of pathogens on seed quality and risks of seed transmission. Biological control of seedborne pathogens.
rwalcott@arches.uga.edu
Susan R. Wessler
Departments of Plant Biology and Genetics
There are two areas of research interest in the lab. The first involves the isolation of active transposable element systems in maize and other flowering plants and an assessment of their role in the evolution of gene expression. The second project utilizes the natural variants found among a family of regulatory genes (the R family) to understand mechanisms of post-transcriptional gene regulation and how and why such mechanisms may have evolved.
sue@plantbio.uga.edu
Zheng-Hua Ye
Department of Plant Biology
My research focuses on mechanisms underlying differentiation and patterning in plant vascular systems. Although the patterns of vascular tissues have been well described anatomically, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the evolution of the vascular patterns. We have been using molecular and genetic approaches to dissect the mechanisms controlling vascular patterning as well as the mechanisms controlling lignification and autolysis during xylogenesis.
ye@plantbio.uga.ed
Michael J. Adang
Department of Entomology
Our overall research goal is to facilitate the long- term use of Bacillus thuringiensis for insect pest control. We use molecular and biochemical approaches to investigate the mode-of-action of Bt toxins. Our special focus is to elucidate mechanisms by which insects become resistant to Bt.
adang@uga.edu
Jonathan Arnold
Department of Genetics
Genomics of fungal pathogens and model systems, creating physical maps of Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus flavus, Neurospora crassa and worked on the physical map of Pneumocystis carinii, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics. arnold@uga.edu
Michael L. Arnold
Department of Genetics
Our work continues to emphasize evolutionary biology and ecology and involves both temperate and tropical taxa. All of our projects are directed toward an understanding of organismal evolution. For example, we are interested in answering the question "What are the evolutionary consequences of natural hybridization?" We are using a diverse approach to understand the role of natural selection, mating patterns, and reproductive biology in determining what hybrid genotypes/phenotypes can survive in nature. These data have allowed us to discover gene exchange between various species and have indicated that positive and negative selection are causal in the establishment and survivorship of hybrid genotypes.
arnold@dogwood.botany.uga.edu
Joseph H. Bouton
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Breeding, including the use of marker assisted selection, of major temperate forage species (alfalfa, white and red clover, orchardgrass, and tall fescue) for adaptation and yield and for use in stress conditions such as acid soils and intensive grazing.
jbouton@arches.uga.edu
James Buck
Department of Plant Pathology
Management and ecology of fungal diseases of ornamental plants. Biological control of foliar plant pathogens using basidiomycetous yeasts.
jbuck@gaes.griffin.peachnet.edu
C. J. Chang
Department of Plant Pathology - Georgia Experiment Station
Growth and metabolism of fastidious prokaryotes including spiroplasmas, phytoplasmas, and Xylella fastidiosa and their detection by electron microscopy in pecan, walnut, peach, and grapes.
cchang@gaes.griffin.peachnet.edu
Patrick Conner
Department of Horticulture - Coastal Plains Experiment Station
My interests lie in the area of pecan breeding and genetics. A major focus of the breeding program is to better understand the inheritance of resistance to the pecan scab fungus Cladosporium caryigenum. Linkages between molecular markers and key resistance genes and important horticultural traits will be sought in order to better understand their inheritance as well as for use in marker-assisted selection.
pconner@tifton.cpes.peachnet.edu
Alan Darvill
Complex Carbohydrate Research Center
Structurally characterizing the three pectic and two hemicellulosic polysaccharides of plant primary cell walls, studying the interactions among them, and elucidating the regulatory functions of cell wall-derived complex carbohydrates.
adarvill@ccrc.uga.edu
Timothy P. Denny
Department of Plant Pathology
I am primarily interested in the genetic and biochemical mechanisms that determine the outcome of plant-pathogen interactions. My primary research effort concentrates on Ralstonia solanacearum (previously called Pseudomonas solanacearum), one of the world's most important phytopathogenic bacteria. This pathogen causes a lethal wilting disease of several hundred species in over 40 plant families; hosts include not only agronomic plants like peanut, potato, tomato, tobacco, and banana, but also some economically important trees and shrubs (e.g., mulberry, olive, cassava). My overall goal is to better understand the processes used by R. solanacearum to colonize host plants and elicit wilt symptoms, including how the bacterium regulates its virulence determinants in response to environmental signals. We hope that insight into these basic processes will lead to the design of novel strategies to control wilt diseases.
Mark Farmer
Department of Cellular Biology
Protistan evolution; cellular evolution; endosymbiosis.
farmer@emlab.cb.uga.edu
Glenn Galau
Department of Plant Biology
Development, embryo desiccation and dormancy, of cotton, tobacco and arabidopsis.
galau@plantbio.uga.edu
Alan Gingle
Office of the Vice President for Research
Bioinformatics; the development of database software to organize and extract information from genomic sequencing projects.
agingle@merc.rx.uga.edu
Travis Glenn
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Travis oversees multi-user DNA labs at SREL and the University of South Carolina. His research organisms range from alligators to bacteria and include mammals, birds, fish and plants. An equally large variety of DNA tools and techniques are used to answer questions in molecular ecology, conservation genetics, and genotoxicology. Visit the SREL DNA Lab web pages for more information.
James L. Hamrick
Departments of Plant Biology and Genetics
Population genetics and evolution of natural plant populations.
hamrick@plantbio.uga.edu
Wayne Hanna
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Coastal Plains Experiment Station
My research involved studying cytogenetic, breeding and molecular problems of warm-season grasses (forage, turf and grain). I am responsible for developing innovative methods of evaluating, manipulating, improving germplasm; enhancing the cytogenetic and taxonomic and molecular understanding of species, and developing improved germplasm and cultivars. My research objectives are concerned with the development and application of fundamental knowledge essential to breeding and improvement of plants. The findings of this program provide genetic and breeding materials and new cultivars for use in the United States and many foreign countries.
mailto:whanna@tifton.usda.gov
Nicholas S. Hill
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
The study of the symbiotic interactions between the fungal endophyte, Acremonium coenophialum, and tall fescue, Festuca arundinacea, including the use of monoclonal antibodies as diagnostic tools.
nhill@arches.uga.edu
Richard S. Hussey
Department of Plant Pathology
The goal of my research program is to define what makes a nematode a plant parasite. Our focus is on the molecular and functional characterization of parasitism genes expressed in the esophageal gland cells of root-knot and cyst nematodes.The products of parasitism genes secreted into susceptible host tissue modulate complex changes in morphology, function, and gene expression in recipient root cells to form elaborate, discrete feeding cells. The discovered parasitism gene complexity paints a elaborate picture of host cellular events under specific control by the nematode parasites.
hussey@uga.edu
Jerry Johnson
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
My research objective is in the development of improved wheat, triticale, and barley cultivars and germplasm for the Southeast.
jjohnso@gaes.griffin.peachnet.edu
Stanley J. Kays
Department of Horticulture
Flavor and insect resistance chemistry, developmental physiology of vegetable crops, postharvest physiology of horticultural products.
kaysstan@uga.edu
Charles W. Mims
Department of Plant Pathology
Ultrastructure of plant pathogenic fungi; host-parasite relationships.
cwmims@uga.edu
Brad Morris
USDA, ARS, Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit Georgia Experiment Station
Development and utilization of curation research strategies for novel value-added uses plus identification/discovery of specific nutraceutical, phytopharmaceutical, pesticidal, industrial, and forage traits within the special-purpose legume, new crop, and miscellaneous crop collections with concurrent Genetic variation studies for these traits.
bmorris@ars.uga.gov
Michelle Momany
Department of Plant Biology
We are investigating polar growth through studies of ts swo (swollen) mutants in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. We are also investigating the
A. nidulans septins, proteins important in the organization of the septum and branching.
momany@plantbio.uga.edu
Mark A. Schell
Department of Microbiology
Molecular biology of bacterial plant pathogens, environmental microbiology, biological control of fungal pathogens
schell@uga.edu
Gregory Schmidt
Department of Plant Biology
Our research is directed toward understanding the processes involved in the formation of photosynthetic complexes of plants and algae.
schmidt@plantbio.uga.edu
John Sherwood
Department of Plant Pathology
Plant virology, detection of plant viruses, mechanisms of resistance, vector acquisition of plant viruses.
Janet Westpheling
Department of Genetics
Streptomyces are of special interest for two reasons. First, their morphological complexity is unique among bacteria. They grow vegetatively as multinucleoid hyphae (with striking resemblance to filamentous fungi) and, in response to nutrient deprivation, initiate a program of gene expression that results in the production of spores. Second, coincident with morphological development, they produce as natural products most of the antibiotic compounds used in human and animal health care.
westpheling@arches.uga.edu
Hazel Y. Wetzstein
Department of Horticulture
Plant Development. Flowering, pollination, fruit set, and tissue culture of fruit, nut and ornamental crops are current areas of interest.
hywetz@arches.uga.edu
Ida Yates
USDA - Richard Richard Research Center
