Institute DIrector
Seung Yon (Sue) Rhee
Director – Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Plant Biology, and Plant, Soil, and Microbes, Michigan State University
Theme 1: Surviving the Solid State
Thomas boothby, theme lead
Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming
Shahar sukenik, project lead
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Syracuse University
Project: Is glass strength associated with protective capacity?
Marisa otegui, project lead
Professor of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Project: How do cellular structures change during dehydration to solid-state?
Theme 2: Rehydration and Recovery
Hugo TAPIA, Theme Lead
Assistant Professor of Biology, California State University Channel Islands
Project: How does partial re-hydration affect desiccation tolerance?
Christina walters, Project Lead
Supervisory Plant Physiologist, USDA-National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation
Theme 3: Molecular Engineering
Alex HOLEHOUSE, theme lead & project lead
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University in St. Louis
Project: Rational design of de novo proteins for desiccation tolerance in cells and organisms
Steven BOEYNAEMS, project lead
Assistant Professor of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
Investigator at Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital
Project: Molecular rules of membraneless organelle water responsiveness
Theme 4: Evolutionary Dynamics
Robert VANBUREN, theme lead & project lead
Assistant Professor of Horticulture, Michigan State University
Project: Identify conserved and lineage-specific molecular responses to anhydrobiosis
Moises EXPOSITO-ALONSO, project lead
Assistant Professor of Global Change Biology, University of California Berkeley
Freeman Hrabowski Scholar, Howard Hugues Medical Institutes (HHMI)
Project: Identify genetic determinants underlying desiccation tolerance by mining natural variation in seed germination across A. thaliana populations
Rose MARKS, project lead
Assistant Professor of Plant Biology, University of Illinois
Project: Developing the resurrection grass Microchloa caffra as a new system for evolutionary genetics of desiccation tolerance
Animation & Visualization
Janet IWASA
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine
Administrative Team
Elena Lazarus
Scientific Coordinator, Michigan State University
Johanna Murray
Communications Coordinator, Michigan State University
Trainees
Senior Research Associates
Flavia Bossi
Rhee Lab
Carnegie Science
Hannah Tetreault
USDA-NLGRP
Ryan Emenecker
Holehouse Lab
Washington Univ. St. Louis
Seif Tekaya
Boothby Lab
Univ. of Wyoming
Silvia Sanchez Martinez
Boothby Lab
Univ. of Wyoming
Postdoctoral Researchers
Ann Hui Liu
Iwasa Lab
Univ. of Utah
Barno Rezaeva
Rhee Lab
Michigan State Univ.
Coral Martinez
Otegui Lab
UW Madison
Danielle Hoffmann
Rhee Lab
Michigan State Univ.
Jessica Niblo
Sukenik Lab
Syracuse University
Jinseul Kyung
Moi Lab
UC Berkeley
Olivia Maria Silva Carmo
Boeynaems Lab
Baylor College of Medicine
Purva Karia
Rhee Lab
Carnegie Science
Rachel Torrez
Iwasa Lab
Univ. of Utah
Xing Wu
Moi Lab
UC Berkeley
Lab Managers
Lisa Hill
USDA-NLGRP
Trevor Brandt
Sukenik Lab
Syracuse University
Graduate Student Researchers
Abby Jensen
VanBuren Lab
Michigan State Univ.
Aidan Deneen
Rhee Lab
Michigan State Univ.
Aidan Flynn
Holehouse Lab
Washington Univ. St. Louis
Alison Flynt
Boothby Lab
Univ. of Wyoming
Ashton Datko
VanBuren Lab
Michigan State Univ.
August Lipari
Marks Lab
University of Chicago
Cathy Mercado
VanBuren Lab
Michigan State Univ.
Chloe Grabb
Rhee Lab
Michigan State Univ.
David Cordone
Sukenik Lab
Syracuse University
Erin Cushing
Rhee Lab
Michigan State Univ.
Ethan Weiner
Otegui Lab
UW Madison
Evan Saldivar
Rhee Lab
Carnegie Science
Freya Beinart
Holehouse Lab
Washington Univ. St. Louis
Grace Magavern
Marks Lab
University of Chicago
Jarrod Reister
Boothby Lab
Univ. of Wyoming
Jeffrey Lotthammer
Holehouse Lab
Washington Univ. St. Louis
Jesse Kaleku
Boothby Lab
Univ. of Wyoming
Jenny Schuster
VanBuren Lab Michigan State Univ.
John Ramirez
Boothby Lab
Univ. of Wyoming
Kara Hunter
Sukenik Lab
UC Merced
Kenny Nguyen
Boothby Lab
Univ. of Wyoming
Laura Leventhal
Moi Lab
UC Berkeley
Madison Creach
VanBuren Lab
Michigan State Univ.
Miffy Wu
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Ryan Brener
Rhee Lab
Michigan State Univ.
Shraddha KC
Boothby Lab
Univ. of Wyoming
Sourav Biswas
Boothby Lab
Univ. of Wyoming
Tyler Gonzalez
Boothby Lab
Univ. of Wyoming
Vindya Kumara
Boothby Lab
Univ. of Wyoming
Research Assistants and Technicians
Andrew Fairclough
Moi Lab
UC Berkeley
Annie Walgen
Boothby Lab
Univ. of Wyoming
Ben Jin
Moi Lab
UC Berkeley
Shaimaa Ibrahim
USDA-NLGRP
Sheila Ferer
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Vincent Nicholson
Boothby Lab
Univ. of Wyoming
Undergraduate Student Researchers
Brandon Reyes
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Christell Martinez
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Edie Gollub
Sukenik Lab
UC Merced
Erin Hattan
Sukenik Lab
Syracuse University
Fisher Houston
Marks Lab
University of Chicago
Joshua Sarmina
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Karen Galvan
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Lea Day
Sukenik Lab
Syracuse University
Ryan Moses
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Sini Shqair
Sukenik Lab
Syracuse University
Visiting Scholars
Neusa Steiner
Federal Univ. of Santa Catalina
USDA-NLGRP
WALII Alumni
Alejandra Arroyo
Tapia Lab Alumni
CSU Channel Islands
Alina Vane
Tapia Lab Alumni
CSU Channel Islands
Alisha Greenlaw
Tapia Lab Alumni
CSU Channel Islands
Andrew Scheil
Rhee Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Anna Pardo
VanBuren Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Anthony Trent
Boothby Lab Alumni
Univ. of Wyoming
Ariana Fobbs
Rhee Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Ashton Datko
VanBuren Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Ava Kloss-Schmidt
Rhee Lab Alumni
Carnegie Science
Azeem Horani
Sukenik Lab Alumni
UC Merced
Cierra May
Otegui Lab Alumni
UW Madison
Dakarai Young
Rhee Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Elisha Vil
Rhee Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Emily Heltsley
Tapia Lab Alumni
CSU Channel Islands
Emma Meese
Boothby Lab Alumni
Univ. of Wyoming
Ethan Gurwitch
Moi Lab Alumni
Carnegie Science
Gaby Amador
Tapia Lab Alumni
CSU Channel Islands
Gaëlle Cassin-Ross
Rhee Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Garrett Ginell
Holehouse Lab Alumni
Washington Univ. St. Louis
Griselda Padilla
Tapia Lab Alumni
CSU Channel Islands
Isaiah Kam
Rhee Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Jack Cox
Rhee Lab Alumni
Carnegie Science
Jacob Gantz
Rhee Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Jacob Loeffelholz
Boothby Lab Alumni
Univ. of Wyoming
Jada Marshall
Sukenik Lab Alumni
UC Merced
Jailene Martinez
Tapia Lab Alumni
CSU Channel Islands
Kap Kapoor
Rhee Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Keegan Pham
Moi Lab Alumni
Carnegie Science
Landon Lee
Boothby Lab Alumni
Univ. of Wyoming
Laura Santos e Silva
Flemming Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Loretta Klecker
VanBuren Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Maliheh Esfahanian
Moi Lab Alumni
Carnegie Science
Manuel Cubillos
Boeynaems Lab Alumni
Baylor College of Medicine
Margaret Mattson
VanBuren Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Margot Riggi
Iwasa Lab Alumni
Univ. of Utah
Margaret (Grace) Flemming
Flemming Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Matt Chansler
Flemming Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Matt Stata
Rhee Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Maxwell Packebush
Boothby Lab Alumni
Univ. of Wyoming
Michael Ozolins
Flemming Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Nicolas Mendez
Boeynaems Lab Alumni
Baylor College of Medicine
Peyton Vanada
Rhee Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Robyn Zallen
Flemming Lab
Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Selena Rice
Rhee Lab Alumni
Carnegie Science
Serena Lotreck
VanBuren Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Siavash Heshmati
Flemming Lab
Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Sofia Romero
Sukenik Lab Alumni
UC Merced
Sterling Field
Rhee Lab Alumni
Michigan State University
Will Dwyer
Rhee Lab Alumni
Carnegie Science
Water & Life Interface Institute 