PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Sharon Lafferty Doty, Professor: Sharon received a B.S. degree in Genetics from the University of California, Davis.  Her Ph.D. research in the Microbiology Dept. at the University of Washington (UW) was on Agrobacterium plant signal perception and responses, and her postdoctoral research was in plant biochemistry, developing plants with improved capacity to remove environmental pollutants.  She is currently a Professor in the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences (SEFS) of the College of the Environment (CoEnv) and an Adjunct Professor with the UW Microbiology Department  and member of UW Astrobiology and UW’s Space Policy and Research Center (SPARC).  She is also faculty in the new NASA-funded consortium of researchers in UW, WSU, and PNNL, Bios-ENDURES, to establish a network of researchers in space biology. Her research focus is on the importance of the plant microbiome for plant growth, nutrient acquisition, and tolerance to both abiotic (drought, heat, pollutants, salt) and biotic (pathogens) stresses.  Through her outreach and teaching, Doty emphasizes the ability of natural plant-microbe partnerships to address environmental challenges including agricultural chemical run-off, climate change, and pollution. Prof. Doty serves on the executive teams of the International Symbiosis Society (ISS) and the International Commission on Poplar and Other Fast-Growing Trees sustaining People and the Environment (IPC) where she serves as Co-Vice Chair of the working group on Environmental and Ecosystem Services.  For more information, see her CV

Courses taught: Environmental Applications of Plants: Bioenergy and Bioremediation (ESRM 325/SEFS 523), Plant Microbiology Lab (ESRM 404), Pacific Northwest Ecosystems (ESRM 201), Plant Microbiology Seminar , Current Topics in Phytoremediation (SEFS 524), and a Study Abroad course on the Rainforest Microbiome with 2 weeks in Costa Rica and 1 week in the temperate rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula.  She is also committed to supporting undergraduate research.  She was given the UW Undergraduate Research Mentor Award in 2017 and the College of the Environment award for Exceptional Mentoring of Undergraduates in 2020.

RESEARCH STAFF AND POSTDOCS

Andrew W. Sher, Research Scientist 3:  Andrew received a B.A. in 3D Animation (Individualized Studies) in 2008 and a B.S. in Biology (Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental) in 2014, both from the University of Washington. In 2018, he received his M.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of California, San Diego.  It emphasized the application of analytical chemistry and molecular biology towards the understanding of plant-microbe interactions. As a Research Scientist in Doty’s lab, he is responsible for studying the molecular mechanisms by which symbiotic bacteria can naturally achieve improved growth and health for their host plant.  His current projects focus on endophytic nitrogen fixation and biocontrol of plant pathogens.

Robert Tournay, Postdoctoral Research Associate:  Robert received a B.S. in Environmental Science from UW, Tacoma in 2013 and a Ph.D. SEFS in Doty’s lab.  His graduate research project was on the role that endophytes may play in host plant tolerance to elevated levels of toxic metals in soils. Whether occurring naturally, such as serpentine and volcanic soils, or through various human activities, toxic metals in soils present a unique challenge for plants, and his project was centered on the mechanisms by which endophytes might improve the ability of host plants to colonize, tolerate, and thrive in these soils. He would like to use this knowledge to explore solutions to a range of environmental challenges, including the remediation of contaminated soils, improved crop yields, and growing plants for space programs.

His current focus as a postdoc is on bioinformatics.  His projects include genomic analysis of our endophyte strains to understand the mechanisms by which they benefit plant health, and microbiome studies to determine how endophyte inoculations and abiotic stresses impact the plant microbiome.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Morgan Raimondo, Graduate Student (2022-current):  Morgan received a B.S. degree in Biology at California State University, Monterey Bay.  Her undergraduate projects centered on microbiology and involved biocontrol and bioremediation.  Her Ph.D. research is on the roles of the plant microbiome in plant stress responses.  Her current project is on the microbiological and genomic characterization of Populus endophytes that may confer plant tolerance to high temperature stress.  She is also involved in the microbiome analyses of apple, cherry, and poplar trees, exploring how the plant microbiome is affected by abiotic stresses.  As Morgan is part of the dual-degree program with Astrobiology, she will also determine how the stresses of low-gravity and radiation affect the plant microbiome during space flight.  Morgan served as a TA for Plant Microbiology Lab (ESRM 404), the Rain Forest Microbiome (ESRM 489), and Environmental Applications of Plants (ESRM 325).

 

Emma Gomez-Rivas, Graduate student (2022-current):  Emma received a B.S. degree in Biochemistry from Bates College in May 2019 and then served as a Research Assistant in immunology.  She joined the UW Department of Microbiology in 2022, and joined the Doty Lab in summer 2023.  Her Ph.D. research is in the molecular and cellular biology of endophytic nitrogen fixation.  Her current projects include utilizing the RhizoChip system with our colleagues at the Pacific Northwest National Lab to study plant-endophyte interactions, and determining the most active diazotrophic species within wild Populus.

 

 

 

 

Kevin Shaffman, Graduate student (2023-current):  Kevin received a B.S. degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles. He received the Jean Dreyfus Boissevain Undergraduate Scholarship for Excellence in Chemistry at UCLA, the Leonard Greiner Commencement Award at UCLA, the UW SEFS Recruitment Fellowship, and the UW Provost Fellowship. His current project will use proteomic, genomic, and spectroscopy techniques to uncover the genes and mechanisms behind how plant-microbes solubilize metal-phosphate complexes into plant-bioavailable soluble phosphate.

 

 

Graduated graduate students:

Robert Tournay, Ph.D. 2021: “The isolation and characterization of arsenic-tolerant endophytes and the potential role of biofilms in arsenic tolerance.”

Shyam L. Kandel, Ph.D. 2016: “Salicaceae endophytes: Growth promotion potential in rice and maize and bio-control of plant pathogens”

Ellen Weir, Ph.D. 2015: “Assessing the social acceptability of endophyte-assisted phytoremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: A case study at Gas Works Park”

Keum Young Lee, Ph.D. 2013:  “Phytoremediation of the insecticide, chlorpyrifos, using poplar and willow”

Evan Henrich, MEH, 2013

Jenny Knoth, Ph.D., 2012: “Analysis for the potential for diazotrophic endophytes to increase efficiency of bioenergy crop production: Growth promotion effects of the endophytes isolated from Populus trichocarpa and Salix sitchensis”

Jun Won Kang, Ph.D., 2012: “Bioremediation of trichloroethylene (TCE): Analysis of the plant genetic response to TCE and characterization of a novel TCE-degrading endophyte”

Rachel Miller, MS, 2010: “Comparison of trichloroethylene toxicity, removal, and degradation in varieties of Populus and Salix for improved phytoremediation”

Xu Ping, MS, 2009: “Genetic analysis of endophytic yeast strains isolated from Populus”

Gang Xin, Ph.D., 2008: “Diazotrophic endophytes of poplar”

Glenda Singleton, MS, 2007: “Genetic analysis of transgenic poplars for enhanced phytoremediation”

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS

Our lab encourages the participation of undergraduate students in research projects. Over 130 students have gained valuable scientific research experience in plant microbiology, plant biochemistry, molecular biology, plant physiology, phytoremediation, bioenergy, and biocontrol of plant pathogens. Students are encouraged to present their research projects at the UW Undergraduate Symposium as well as at scientific conferences.

Current students:  Clarice Mauer, Chan Loui, Anna Nardelli, Ethan Walker, and Mumtaz Sheikhaden