Postdoctoral Researcher| Janies lab | University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2019 - present)
Biology Ph.D. I University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2019)
Bioinformatics Applications Certificate I University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2016)
Biology M.S. I University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2015)
Biology B.S., Geology, Chemistry Minors | University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2012)
Postdoctoral Research
Echinoderm Regeneration I UNCC I 2019 - present
Postdoctoral research fellow in the Janies Lab at the UNCC bioinformatics and genomics department. Quantification and modification of expression of regeneration associated genes by in-situ hybridization, RT-qPCR, RNA-seq, RNAi, and CRISPR-Cas9.Graduate Research
Dissertation Research in Plant Genomics I UNCC I 2015 – 2019
Genomic dissection of agronomically important complex trait variation in wild soybean. Research includes: (1) Investigation of genetic architecture early vigor in wild soybean population by Genome Wide Association Study(GWAS). (2) Identification of candidate genes and pathways involved in Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) resistance by comparative transcriptomic analysis. (3) Understand gene regulation in response to combination of abiotic (drought) and biotic (SCN) stress by profiling shared and unique gene expression.Graduate Research in Chloroplast Evolution I UNCC I 2013 - 2015
Microbial Eukaryote ecology and chloroplast evolution. Study of cryptic chloroplasts and klepto-chloroplasts in freshwater dinoflagellates.Undergraduate Research Assistantships
Paleontology and Phylogenetics research I UNCC 2011 - 2013
Evolutionary history of Carboniferous fish, Gyracanthids, determined by morphological characters and phylogenetic reconstruction by parsimony in independent study.Paleo-ecology and Phylogenetics research I UNCC 2012
Vicariance and dispersal patterns of Baphetids and Rhizodonts of the Carboniferous analyzed using geochronological phylogenetic techniques in independent study.Environmental research I UNCC 2010-2011
Examination of alluvial fan deposits by iron extraction, particle size analysis, organic removal, and sediment fraction separation study, mentored by PhD student.Other Research Positions
Lab Technician I EntoGenetics Inc. I 2012 - 2013
Selective mating of transformed silkworms genetically modified to produce spider silk.Lab Manager I UNCC I 2015
Ecology and Biogeochemistry of Watersheds (EBOW) lab restoration study at Reedy Creek. Investigation of macroinvertebrate diversity, and hydrologic and sediment composition by chromatography and mass spectrometry.Instructor of Record General Biology 2120 – 42 student lecture I UNCC 2018
Graduate Assistantships
Laboratory Instructor I UNCC 2013 - 2019
General Biology 1110, General Biology 2140, Anatomy and Physiology 2273, Ecology 3144Lecture Assistant I UNCC 2016 – 2017
Cell Biology 3111, Ecology 3144Teacher Training
Essentials of Teaching and Learning Certification I UNCC 2019
Provost Doctoral Teaching Fellowship Program – workshops and evaluations I UNCC 2018
Teaching at the University Level – 3 credit hour course completion I UNCC 2016
Undergraduate Research Mentoring I UNCC 2015 - 2019
Graduate School Summer Fellowship (GSSF) (2018)
Provost’s Doctoral Teaching Fellowship (2018)
National Science Foundation (NSF) Travel Award (2018)
Graduate School Summer Fellowship (GSSF) (2019)
Plant Pathway Elucidation Project (P2EP) professional development training and leadership certification (2019)
Kofsky, J, Garcia, William J., Gyracanthid Material from the Missippian (Namurian) of Kentucky and The Evolutionary Relationships of Gyracanthidae, Geological Society of America conference. Charlotte, NC (November, 2012)
Kofsky, J, Song, B.H., Dissecting the genetic basis of early vigor traits of the soybean wild relative, Glycine soja, Plant MolecularBiology Consortium. Wilmington, NC (September, 2016)
Kofsky, J, Song, B.H., Genome Wide Association Study of Early Vigor Traits in Wild Soybean (Glycine soja), Southeastern PopulationEcology and Evolutionary Genetics conference. Madison, FL (October, 2016)
Kofsky, J, Song, B.H., Genomic Dissection of Adaptive Traits in Wild Soybean, Southeastern Population Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics conference. Laurel Hill, NC (October, 2017)
Kofsky, J, Song, B.H., Identification of Novel SCN Resistance Strategies in Wild Soybean, The 17th Biennial Conference on theMolecular and Cellular Biology of the Soybean. Athens, GA (August, 2018)
Kofsky, J., Guest Research Lecture, Pfeiffer University. Misenheimer, NC (November, 2018)
Kofsky, J, Song, B.H., Identification of Novel Nematode Resistance Strategies in Wild Soybean, Southern Section of the AmericanSociety of Plant Biologists meeting. Clemson, SC (March, 2019)
Kofsky, J, Song, B.H., Identification of Novel SCN Resistance Strategies in Wild Soybean, International Society of Chemical Ecology meeting. Atlanta, GA (June, 2019)
Kofsky, J., Guest Research Lecture, UNCC. Charlotte, NC (January, 2020)
Zhang, H., Li, C., Davis, E. L., Wang, J., Griffin, J. D., Kofsky, J., & Song, B.-H. (2016). Genome-Wide Association Study of Resistance to Soybean Cyst Nematode (Heterodera glycines) HG Type 2.5.7 in Wild Soybean (Glycine soja). Frontiers in Plant Science, 7, 1214.
Kofsky, J., Zhang, H., Song, B. H. (2018). The untapped genetic reservoir: the past, current, and future applications of the wild soybean (Glycine soja). Frontiers in plant science, 9.
Zhang, H., Zuelsdorf, C., Penneys, D., Fan, S., Kofsky, J., & Song, B. H. (2018). Transcriptome profiling of a beach-adapted wild legume for dissecting novel mechanisms of salinity tolerance. Scientific data, 5, 180290.
Kofsky, J., Zhang, H., & Song, B. H. (2020). Genetic Architecture of Early Vigor Traits in Wild Soybean. International journal of molecular sciences, 21(9), 3105.
Kofsky, J., Zhang, H. & Song, BH. (2021) Novel resistance strategies to soybean cyst nematode (SCN) in wild soybean. Sci Rep 11, 7967. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86793-z
Kofsky, J., Song, B. H. (in prep). Combination Stress Profiling in Soybean Cyst Nematode Resistant Wild Soybean. Plant, Cell, and Environment.
Kofsky. J., Song, B. H. (in prep). Transcriptome of Drought and SCN Combination Stress. Scientific Data.
Reviewer For: (2020- )
DATABASE, Annals of the Entomological Society of America, BMC Plant Biology