Dr. Daniel Rodriguez Leal
Dr. Daniel Rodriguez Leal
Assistant Professor, Dept of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture.
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MSc and PhD, Unidad de Genomica Avanzada (UGA), Laboratorio National de Genómica para la Biodiversidad (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV). Irapuato, Guanajuato, México.
Hobbies & interests: Jazz music, video games, playing guitar and bass, boardgames.
Elsa Ibarra-Reyes
Elsa Ibarra-Reyes
Elsa is a lab technician in the Tomato Lab.
She works on tissue culture and plant transformation and provides assistance in the lab.
Graduate Students
Ruiting Wang
Ruiting Wang
PhD student in PLSC program.
Working on utilizing gene editing to modify tomato plants, targeting multiple traits such as plant architecture, flower development, and stress responses. Her work aims to uncover the molecular and genetic mechanisms controlling stem cell homeostasis in plant meristems, as well as the genetic interactions influencing traits like plant productivity and resilience. She loves playing tennis and figuring out how to cook new things!
Tom Young
Tom Young
Msc student in PLSC program.
MS student in the PSLA Department, studying gene-edited heirloom tomatoes for urban agriculture. My research aims to compare the performance of edited and non-edited pedigrees in community garden settings, focusing on traits such as growth habit, flowering, and fruit quality. By pairing these trials with feedback and dialogue, I aim to address the gap in how people perceive gene editing compared to GMOs, building both practical insight and public trust. As a dad, husband, and retired Army pilot, I enjoy traveling with my family, working on projects at home, and catching a Mariners ball game.
Undergraduate Students (past and current)
Junchi (Max) Ma.
Research in the lab: Vector construction, golden gate cloning and CRISPR designs.
Lena Le.
Research in the lab:Tissue culture and plant transformation.
Katherine Surma.
Research in the lab: Greenhouse support.
Jordan Oxendine.
Research in the lab: tissue culture, plant transformation.
Eric Liu.
Research in the lab: golden gate cloning, vector construction.
Lea Cole.
Research in the lab: genotyping by PCR, greenhouse work.
Kylie Beatty.
Research in the lab: transient expression, golden gate cloning.
Andrew Cardillo.
Research in the lab: Genotyping by PCR.
Elise Barber.
Research in the lab: Greenhouse plant care (potting, transplanting, prunning, etc).
Victoria Kalinowski.
Research in the lab: Greenhouse plant care (potting, transplanting, prunning, etc).
Gavin Willard.
Research in the lab: Agrobacterium transformation in planta, genotyping, cloning.
Evelyn Liu.
Research in the lab: Media prep, tissue culture.
Isabella Hwang.
Research in the lab: Genotyping by PCR.
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