SWAPAN CHAKRABARTY

Education

Ph.D. in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology (May 2021 - August 2024)

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES), Michigan Technological University (MTU), USA

Ph.D. in Agricultural Entomology and Pest Control (March 2018 - June 2021)

Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China

M.S. in Data Science (Bioinformatics domain) (August 2023 - April 2024)

College of Computing, Department of Computer Science, MTU, USA

M.S. in Genetics and Plant Breeding (October 2015 - April 2018)

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding (DGPB), Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Bangladesh

B.Sc. in Agriculture (April 2011 - June 2015)

Faculty of Agriculture, Sylhet Agricultural University, Bangladesh

Graduate Certificate in Applied Statistics (December 2023)

Department of Mathematical Sciences, Michigan Tech, USA

Graduate Certificate in Data Science Foundations (December 2023)

College of Computing, Department of Computer Science, MTU, USA

Professional Positions

May 2021 – April 2024, Graduate Research Assistant, CFRES, MTU, USA

Project: Social implications of genetically improved trees: assessing public and forest owner attitudes and risk perceptions (Funded by USDA-NIFA, AFRI)

June 2016 – November 2017, Research Assistant, DGPB, BSMRAU, Bangladesh

Project: Breeding Jatropha curcas for seed and oil yield as a source of renewable energy (Funded by MOST-GoB)

Teaching Experience

Spring 2024 - Guest Lecture on "GWAS and Mixed Linear Models"

Course: FW5411 Applied Data Analysis and FW5412 Data Analysis in R (Instructor: Dr. Carsten Külheim)

Training Experiences

Social/Behavioral Research, CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) Program
Fundamental Bioinformatics: Databases & Data Mining, cBLAST, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Diploma in Information & Communication Technology, Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), Bangladesh
Introduction to Computer Application Packages and Programming with Unicode Bangla, BCC, Bangladesh

Technical Skills

Wet lab: CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, DNA extraction, RNA extraction, PCR, Gel electrophoresis and documentation, Primer designing, Insect rearing, Insect bioassay, Plant phenotyping
Dry lab: Unix, NGS data analysis, R, Python, Machine Learning

Grants Received

Research Grant

Spring 2022, Genomic adaptation of two oak species in drought condition (Awarded, Role: Main applicant, Guided by Dr. Carsten Külheim); Sponsor: Ecosystem Science Center (ESC), CFRES, MTU, MI, USA ($1000)

Travel Grants

GSG Travel Grant, MTU (Fall 2023)
ESC Student Travel Grant, MTU (Spring 2022, Spring 2023)
Bangladesh Sweden Trust Fund Travel Grant (2018)

Awards, Scholarships, and Fellowships

Doctoral Finishing Fellowship (Summer 2024)
GSG Research Chair Fellowship (Fall 2023, Spring 2024)
GSCAAS Scholarship (2018)
Beijing Government Scholarship (2018)
Merit Scholarship, BSMRAU (2016)

Presentations

Oral Presentations

"Tree genetic improvement methods: current trends and future". Graduate Research Colloquium; March 29, 2023; MTU, USA
"Development of rice varieties through participatory plant breeding” at BSMRAU, Gazipur, Bangladesh

Poster Presentations

Comparative genome analysis of Quercus rubra and Q. ellipsoidalis. Submitted to TAGC24: The Allied Genetics Conference, Genetics Society of America; March 6-10, 2024; Washington DC, USA.
"Tree genetic improvement methods: current trends and future". Plant Biology 2023, American Society of Plant Biologists; August 5-9, 2023; Savannah, Georgia, USA
"Comparative analysis of the Quercus rubra and Q. ellipsoidalis genome structure". 18th Annual ESC Student Research Forum (March 29, 2022), and Graduate Research Colloquium (March 29, 2023), MTU, USA
“Using the Eucalyptus polybractea genome improved genetic variant identification compared to using a pseudo-reference”. GSA Conference PEQG22: Population, Evolutionary, and Quantitative Genetics Conference; June 7-10, 2022; Pacific Grove, California, USA.
"Trends in Tree Genetic Improvement Techniques from 1990-2021”. 17th Annual ESC Student Research Forum (March 29, 2022), and Graduate Research Colloquium (April 12, 2022), MTU, USA

Mentoring Experience

Co-supervised Zhang Yating, undergraduate intern student, College of Life Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, China

Leadership and Volunteer Services

Founder President, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Club at MTU (2023-2024)
Research Chair, Graduate Student Government (GSG), MTU (2023-2024)
CFRES GSG Representative, MTU (2022-2023, 2023-2024)
GSG Representative, President's Council on Health and Well-being, MTU (2023-2024)
GSG Liaison, Academic Integrity Committee, Michigan Tech (2023-2024)
Graduate Student Alternate, CFRES Dean Search Committee, Michigan Tech (2023-2024)
President, Bangladeshi Student Association at MTU (2022-2023)

Volunteer, 1st International Congress of Biological Control (2018), Beijing, China

Professional Societies

Member, American Society of Plant Biologists
Member, Genetics Society of America
Member, North American Forest Genetics Society