Professor
University of Nevada Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
My research interests include molecular mechanisms controlling seed dormancy and germination, and plant responses to different abiotic stresses. After receiving a PhD at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) and postdoctoral trainings at WUSTL and Monsanto, I became a research scientist in Monsanto, studying seed germination and seedling development of soybean. I joined the faculty of University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) in 2000. Using an approach that integrates bioinformatics, genomics, metabolomics and proteomics, my lab studies the signal transduction networks underlying rice seed dormancy and germination, and plant responses to environmental stresses. I have trained dozens of postdoctoral fellows, graduates, and undergraduate researchers. I have served on panels for USDA, NSF, and DOE, the editorial board for Plant Science, and served as ad hoc reviewer for dozens of journals and international founding agencies. I was Associate Director of the School of Life Sciences at UNLV from 2019 to 2022.