Several Faculty Have Joined GGB
March 31, 2016
A warm welcome to several new GGG faculty members.
Dr. Omar S. Akbari is a new Assistant Professor in Entomology, and his research is in developing innovative synthetic biology inspired genetic control strategies for insects.
Dr. Meng Chen is an Assistant Professor in Plant Biology, and his research focuses on light signaling and genome organization in plants.
Dr Rong Hai is a new Assistant Professor in Plant Pathology and Microbiology, and his research is about mechanisms of virus-induced pathogenicity.
Dr. Ansel Hsiao also is an Assistant Professor in Plant Pathology and Microbiology, and is research focuses on mechanisms of gut microbiota-mediated resistance to bacterial infections, inter-species quorum sensing, and regulation of Vibrio cholerae pathogenesis.
Dr. Arthur Jia is a new Assistant Professor in Plant Biology, and his research is about quantitative genetics and statistical genomes, especially focusing on genomic selection in crops;bioinformatics and biostatistics in disease, for example prostate cancer.
Dr. Daniel Koenig is a new Assistant Professor in Plant Biology, and his research is about evolutionary genomics and genetics in plants.
Dr. Amy Litt is a new Assistant Professor in Plant Biology, and her research focuses on molecular basis of plant evolution and development, flower and fruit morphology and evolution, molecular evolution, domestication, systematics.
Incoming Fall 2015 Students are Here
October 14, 2015
We are very happy that the Fall 2015 students have arrived! We hope that our new students will have a rewarding and enjoyable stay in the GGB graduate program.
Left to right: Elizabeth Deyett, John Sharifi, Angela Reinert, James Randolph, Qihua Liang, Leonel Islas, Tiantian Ye, Emre Aksoy. (Not pictured: Zachary Piserchia)
Another Successful GGB Graduate Student Research Symposium - 2015
October 8, 2015
Congratulations to Jonathan Deans for the Best Presentation Award; Ruidong Li for Honorable Mention; and Thanin Chantarachot for Best Poster Award! A special thanks to Dr. Naoki Yamanaka for his keynote address; and to the student symposium committee for all their hard work. And thank you to all the students and faculty for participating and making this symposium a success and a memorable event for everyone. Click here for pictures.
Welcome Dr. Wenxiu Ma!
October 8, 2015
Dr. Wenxiu Ma, a Statistics faculty member, is the newest member of GGB!
Dr. Ma's primary research interest is in developing computational algorithms and statistical methods to solve problems that stem from large-scale biological data generated by high-throughput sequencing technologies and also the following.
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
- Genome Architecture, Transcriptional Regulation, Gene Expression Profiling, Epigenomics, High-throughput Sequencing Analysis, Motif Analysis, System Biology, Cancer Genomics.
Statistical Modeling in Genomics
- Bayesian Inference, Empirical Bayes, Hierarchical Models
Machine Learning
Again, welcome Dr. Ma!
Dr. Adler Dillman joins GGB!
February 24, 2015
Dr. Adler Dillman, a Nematology faculty member, has joined GGB--welcome Dr. Dillman!
Dr. Dillman's lab study host-parasite interactions from both perspectives, using insect host models. Their interest is in how hosts recognize and initiate an immune response to parasites and how parasites evade and/or suppress immunity. They study parasite host-seeking behavior and olfaction using parasitic nematodes. To investigate how parasites evade and/or suppress host immunity they are studying which proteins are involved in this process and are working to identify their targets.
From the host perspective they study how nematode parasites are recognized and the immune response that follows. To do this they use a variety of insect hosts. As part of this work they study host immunity generally using bacterial pathogens, nematode parasites, and other immune insults such as cancer. In studying immunity they differentiate the relative roles of resistance, the ability of the host to reduce or eliminate pathogen burden, and disease tolerance or the ability of the host to manage the effects of infections.
Two Biomedical Sciences Faculty Members have Joined GGB!
January 28, 2015
Dr. Ilhem Messaoudi, Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences, and Dr. Meera G. Nair, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences, have joined GGB.
Dr. Messaoudi's research focuses on mechanisms of immune dysregulation by age, nutrition and viral infections.
Research in Dr. Nair's lab is focused on understanding the function of macrophages recruited to mucosal sites following infection and how they regulate host immunity and inflammation.
GGB is very glad these two faculty members have joined our program.
Fall 2014 New Graduate Students are Here!
October 2, 2014
We welcome the incoming Fall 2014 GGB students! Left to right: Suhas Sureshchandra, Jeff Li, Sawyer Masonjones, Jui-Yu Liao, Albert Do, Lichao Li, and Mikkal Blick.
Welcome Dr. Martín M. Riccomagno to GGB!
September 30, 2014
Dr. Martin Riccomagno has joined GGB as its newest faculty member. Dr. Riccomagno is with Cell Biology and Neuroscience and his research focuses on molecular mechanisms of neural circuit establishment and refinement. Welcome Dr. Riccomagno!
2014 GGB Graduate Student Research Symposium a Success!
September 25, 2014
The 2014 GGB Graduate Student Research Symposium was another success! The students gave very good presentations and posters. Congratulations to Sarah Perry for the Best Presentation Award; Eric Smith for Honorable Mention; and Yahui Li for Best Poster Award. Dr. Ted Karginov gave the keynote address. We thank all the students and faculty for participating and making this a memorable event for everyone who was involved. Click here for pictures.
Dr. Carolyn G. Rasmussen joins GGB
September 25, 2014
We welcome Dr. Carolyn Rasmussen!
Dr. Rasmussen is a new Assistant Professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, and her research focuses on molecular mechanisms of plant cell division and the relationship between division plane orientation and development.
Three New Faculty Have Joined GGB
September 19, 2014
GGB warmly welcomes the following newest faculty members!
Dr. Jamie Van Norman is in the Botany and Plant Sciences Department, and her research is currently focused on investigating the role of cell polarity in root development and tissue patterning.
Dr. Naoki Yamanaka is with the Entomology Department and his research deals with neuroendocrine control of insect developmental transitions.
Dr. Sika Zheng is a faculty member in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program. His research is the genetic regulation and molecular mechanisms of neural development and neurogenetic disorders.
Graduate Students, Stephen Bolaris and Caroline Sjogren Win Best Poster!
July 21, 2014
Congratulations to Stephen Bolaris and Caroline Sjogren for winning "Best Poster" at the 2014 Plant Genome Stability and Change Conference at UC Davis, July 17-20, 2014. The poster title was "Aluminum promotes root growth inhibition through an ATR- and SOG1-mediated response." Good job!
Dr. Weifeng Gu is the Newest GGB Faculty Member
May 20, 2014
Dr. Weifeng Gu has joined GGB as its newest faculty member. Dr. Gu's research focuses on Non-coding small RNAs in gene regulation and anti-virus. Welcome Dr. Gu!
Graduate Student, Keira Lucas, Receives Two Awards!
November 25, 2013
Keira Lucas has received the Earle C. Anthony Travel award for her talk, "Characterization of microRNA's involved in regulation of mosquito gonadotrophic cycles" which was presented at the Entomology Society of America Annual Meeting – Entomology 2013 in Austin, Texas. Keira presented her research regarding the use of newly established transgenic tools in mosquito to better understand the tissue specific action of miRNAs during the female mosquito reproductive life stages. She also received an ESA Entomology 2013 Program Enhancement Fund from the conference organizers. Congratulations Keira!
Welcome Fall 2013 Incoming GGB Graduate Students!
September 27, 2013
We welcome our new incoming Fall 2013 Graduate Students, (L-R) Ruidong Li, Yahui Li, Thanin Chantarachot, Stephen Bolaris, and Erin Sternburg.
Congratulations to Stephanie Coffman for Best Presentation; Jinfeng Lu for Honorable Mention; and Michael Matson for Best Poster at the 2013 GGB Graduate Student Research Symposium
September 27, 2013
We thank all the students for their outstanding presentations and the faculty members who participated in the 2013 Graduate Student Research Symposium. This year Dr. Bradley White gave the keynote address, postdocs were invited to give presentations and there was a poster session. Undergraduate students were invited to participate in the poster session. Thanks again to everyone for making this year's symposium a success! Click here for pictures.
Welcome to GGB's Newest Faculty Member, Dr. Gregor Blaha
July 9, 2013
An enthusiastic welcome to Dr. Gregor Blaha, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry.
Dr. Blaha's research is on the environmental influence on the physiology of eubacterial cells.
Welcome to GGB!
Dr. Ted Karginov joins GGB
March 21, 2013
We are happy to announce that Dr. Ted Karginov has joined GGB. Dr. Karginov's research focuses on small RNAs and RNA-binding proteins in gene regulation.
Welcome Dr. Karginov!
Graduate Student, Divya Sain, Receives the Klotz Award
January 16, 2013
Congratulations to Divya Sain who received the Klotz Memorial Award award of $1000 and a UCR GSA Travel Grant award of $300 to present her research, ' A RNA-Seq directed functional genomics screen to identify novel cell wall genes in the hyphal tip of Neurospora crassa' at the 26th Fungal Genetics Conference at Asilomar, Pacific Grove, CA (12-17th March 2013).
Dr. I-Chueh Huang and Dr. Julia Lyubovitsky join GGB
November 15, 2012
We welcome Dr. I-Chueh Huang and Dr. Julia Lyubovitsky to GGB!
Dr. Huang's research objective is to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the innate immune control of viral infections, and help create novel therapies for viral diseases based on this understanding.
Dr. Lyubovitsky's laboratory is pursuing interdisciplinary research spanning disciplines such as Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Engineering with a goal to develop molecular level understanding and control of protein/peptide assembly and disassembly and to apply this knowledge to diseases, tissue engineering, nanotechnology and biomaterials.
Again, a warm welcome to GGB!
Welcome Fall 2012 Incoming GGB Graduate Students!
October 18, 2012
The Fall 2012 Graduate Students are here! (L-R) Maggie Lu, Tim Tran, Eric Smith, Michael Matson, and Quynh Lam. (Not pictured: Patrick Schreiner.)
Congratulations to Amruta Garud for Best Presentation and Stephanie Coffman for Honorable Mention at the 2012 GGB Graduate Student Research Symposium
September 19, 2012
Once again the GGB Graduate Student Research Symposium, held on September 19, 2012, was a great success. We thank all the students for their outstanding presentations and the faculty members who participated.
Click here for pictures!
Samantha Lewis Wins Awards and a Fellowship
July 26, 2012
Good job, Samantha! She was awarded a Student Travel Award and Best Poster Award at the Society of Nematologists Symposium on Nematode Genomics. Also, Samantha won the Carl Storm Minority Fellowship at the Gordon Research Conference on Mitochondria and Chloroplasts. Keep up the good work!
Welcome to GGB's Newest Faculty Member, Bradley White
July 13, 2012
A warm welcome to Dr. Bradley White, Assistant Professor of Entomology.
Dr. White's research is on the genetic basis of phenotypic diversity in Anopheles malaria mosquitoes. He is particularly interested in studying traits of medical and/or ecological importance. To do this, he and his lab utilize a variety of techniques ranging from experimental genetics to computational genomics to field studies.
Steven Ahrendt Receives Klotz Memorial Travel Award
July 12, 2012
The Honors and Awards Committee of the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology has awarded GGB Graduate Student, Steven Ahrendt, a Klotz Memorial Travel Award to support his travel to the 2012 Mycological Society of America meeting to be held at the New Haven, CT, July 15 – 18, 2012, to present "Analysis of a putative sensory rhodopsin in the Chytridiomycota." Congratulations, Steven!
The 2012-2013 Guru Gobind Singh Fellowship is Awarded to Divya Sain
July 9, 2012
We are pleased to announce that Divya Sain has been award the prestigious Guru Gobind Singh Fellowhsip for 2012-2013! This award is a UC- system wide award given to one graduate student every year among all the UCs. Good job, Divya!
In 1988 the University received a bequest from the late Mr. Karam Singh Maughan to establish an endowment to support graduate fellowships (named for Guru Gobind Singh, the Sikh religious leader) to be awarded to graduates of universities in a specific area of India and Pakistan for the purpose of pursuing graduate study at the University of California.
To be eligible, a student must (1) be a graduate of an Indian or Pakistani university, (2) be committed to returning to her or his country of origin after receiving the degree, and (3) not have engaged previously in graduate study at any other institution of higher learning in the United States. Mr. Maughan also specified that individuals already holding the master's degree will have preference.
The award for the 2012-13 year is for $30,000, which can be used to pay fees and stipend.
Stephanie Coffman is Accepted into the UC Riverside NSF Integrated Graduate Education Research and Training (IGERT) Program in Video Bioinformatics
October 19, 2011
Congratulations Stephanie! Video Bioinformatics themes are organismal dynamics, intercellular and tissue dynamics, intracellular dynamics. Stephanie will gain an understanding of the engineering principles involved in multiple imaging modalities, video processing, analysis, data mining, and databases.
Rizi Ai is Awarded a 2011-2012 Dissertation Year Program Fellowship Award
October 18, 2011
Good job, Rizi Ai--she was awarded a Dissertation Year Program Fellowship Award for 2011-12. Rizi's proposal is titled "Modeling of Protein Flexibility and Inter-molecular Interactions: Application to Drug Design and Discovery."
Welcome Fall 2011 Incoming GGB Graduate Students!
October 18, 2011
An enthusiastic welcome to our incoming Fall 2011 Graduate Students, (L-R) Caroline Sjogren, Holly Smith, Raissa Green, Arit Ghosh, and Ji Su Ha. (Not pictured: Jolly Shrivastava.)
2011 GGB Graduate Student Research Symposium is Another Great Success!
September 19, 2011
Congratulations to Patrick Schacht for Best Presentation and Sumana Pasala for Honorable Mention at the 2011 GGB Graduate Student Research Symposium. The presentations were excellent, and we thank all of the students and faculty members who participated.
Click here for pictures!
Ritu Chaudhury Awarded Prestigious Guru Gobind Singh Fellowship for 2011-2012
July 26, 2011
We are happy to announce that GGB Graduate Student, Ritu Chaudhary, has been awarded a Guru Gobind Singh Fellowship for 2011-2012. In 1988 the University of California established an endowment to support graduate fellowships (named for Guru
Gobind Singh, the Sikh religious leader) to be awarded to graduates of universities in a specific area of India and Pakistan for the purpose of pursuing graduate study at the University of California. Congratulations Ritu!
Samantha Lewis is selected to be part of the USA delegation at the Lindau Nobel Meeting in Germany
June 9, 2011
Good news! GGB Graduate Student, Samantha Lewis, has been selected to be part of the Lindau Nobel Meeting in Germany. The 61st Meeting of Nobel Laureates is dedicated to Physiology or Medicine and takes place from June 26th to July 1st, 2011 at Lindau/Germany. 24 Nobel Laureates and 570 young researchers from 80 countries will attend this unique forum.
Distinguished Professor of Genetics, Susan R. Wessler, has joined GGB
March 22, 2011
A warm welcome to Dr. Susan R. Wessler, Member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Wessler's major focus is Transposable elements(TEs) in plants with a focus on the characterization of active transposable elements and a determination of how they contribute to genome evolution and adaptation. To address these questions her lab uses a combination of genetic, biochemical and genomic approaches. TEs are genetic elements that can move (transpose) from one position to another in the genome. They vary in structure, mechanism of transposition, and target site preference. Most TE families include autonomous copies that can code for the transposition enzymatic machinery, and nonautonomous copies that are unable to encode these enzymes, but that can still be mobilized in trans. TEs or sequences derived from TEs are believed to be ubiquitous in all living organisms. However, the impact of TEs on the evolution of plants and other higher organisms has been the subject of considerable discussion and even controversy.
Congratulations to Divya Sain for 2011 Klotz Memorial Travel Award
February 8, 2011
We congratulate Divya Sain, who was awarded a 2011 Klotz Memorial Travel Award for attending the Fungal Genetics Conference in Pacific Grove, Asilomar, CA from 15th to 21st March 2011. The Leo J. Klotz Memorial Endowment Fund assists graduate students in the department of Plant Pathology in attending national meetings to present papers.
Welcome Fall 2010 Incoming GGB Graduate Students!
September 28, 2010
We welcome our new incoming Fall 2010 Graduate Students, (L-R) Jifeng Lu, Keira Lucas, Sarah Perry, Mitchell Lucas, Amruta Garud, Stephanie Coffman, and Steven Ahrendt. (Not pictured: Meenakshi Kagda.)
2010 GGB Graduate Student Research Symposium a Great Success!
September 22, 2010
Thank you to all of the students for their excellent presentations this year! We appreciate all the faculty members who attended, judged, and participated.
Congratulations to Rizi Ai for Best Presentation and Sovrav Roy for Honorable Mention. Click here for pictures!