Research

Current projects:

How sequence variation controls gene regulation

  • How do upstream open reading frames (uORFs) impact protein expression in maize?
  • Are there translational regulation mechanisms, such as G-quadruplexes and microRNAs, that could potentially be disrupted by minor, single-variant changes in sequence

How gene regulation contributes to genotype-by-environment interactions

  • How does transcript abundance vary in genetically diverse individuals across field environments that represent real-world growing conditions?

Utilizing novel methods for processing and interpreting high throughput phenotyping data

  • Can we use drone flight images of fields to create models that can estimate plant height, leaf orientation, and flowering times?
  • Are we able to use artificial intelligence with new and traditional data types to improve crop prediction models with machine learning and neural networks?