Current lab members
Dr. Jason Diaz – post-doc – jdia@mail.med.upenn.edu
Jason earned his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Pennsylvania in 2014, where he studied the recently discovered Merkel Cell Polyomavirus. He is currently a post-doctoral fellow in the Penn-PORT program, a fellowship that combines teaching with a traditional research postdoctoral experience. When he’s not teaching, he is screening for additional SHORTROOT interaction partners that regulate its movement and sequestration in the Arabidopsis root, and comparing animal and plant homeodomain protein secretion.
Dr. Ziv Spiegelman – post-doc – sziv@sas.upenn.edu
Ziv completed his PhD at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the supervision of Prof. Shmulik Wolf. There, he studied the function of long-distance trafficking of proteins in the phloem and their role in inter-organ communication. Ziv is currently investigating the subcellular mechanisms that control cell-to-cell movement of transcription factors in the root meristem.
Dr. Zhe Yan – post-doc – yanzhe@sas.upenn.edu
Zhe received his PhD in plant science in University of Missouri-Columbia. While at Missouri, he conducted functional analysis of mRNAs and small RNAs in legume rhizobium symbiosis. He is currently working on dissecting the genetic networks underlying Kranz anatomy in C4 grasses.
R
uby O’Lexy – graduate student – cortesr@sas.upenn.edu
Ruby O’Lexy is a PhD student studying the regulation of intercellular signaling in response to agricultural challenges. She is specifically interested in how root systems modify transport via plasmodesmata after exposure to heavy metal contamination. In addition to her research interests at Penn, Ruby is the Chair of Academic Affairs for Penn Graduate Women in Science & Engineering, and the Early Career Representative on the American Society for Plant Biology’s Science Policy Committee.
Amy Goldfischher – undergraduate student
Sylvia Sawires – undergraduate student
Former lab members
Dr. Simara Price – former post-doc – currently a visiting professor at Ursinus College.
Dr. Shuang Wu – former post-doc – currently a professor at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University.
Dr. Chin-Mei Lee – former post-doc – currently in Joshua Gendron’s lab, Yale University.
Dr. Tomomi Hayashi – former post-doc
Dr. Koji Koizumi – former post-doc
Dr. Yi Sang – former post-doc