Dr. Michael D. Purugganan, a man described by his peers as one who is “distressingly fond of black clothing,” is a principal investigator for plant genome diversity
Have you seen mangoes or papaya with (really) flawless skins, not to mention pest-resistant? Or maybe big gumamela flowers in varying colors? Well, these are just examples of what plant geneticists achieve in their work.
Dr. Michael D. Purugganan is one such scientist who goes deeper into probing plants by studying the genes involved in controlling plant shoot formation and flower development. He specializes in evolutionary genetics of plants.
Dr. Purugganan is currently an associate professor of genetics at the north Carolina State University in the United States. He heads a laboratory in the Department of Genetics at NCSU, which engages in assessing the factors involved in the development of plants of the same species on the molecular level.
His team looks into the specific plant development pathways then maps and isolates the genes responsible for the plant’s form the intricate floral patterns and variations—a glimpse into a plant’s evolutionary adaptation and diversity.
A prolific researcher who has published papers in the fields of molecular population genetics, quantitative genetics, developmental biology and evolutionary ecology. Dr. Purugganan was named William Neal Reynolds Professor of Genetics (2005).
Dr. Parugganan obtained his undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of the Philippines Diliman (1985), his master’s degree in empirical and theoretical biophysical chemistry from Columbia University, and his Ph.D in botany from the University of Georgia in 1993.
Sources
Michael D. Purugganan Personal Homepage. http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/genetics/purugganan/purugganan.html
Department of Genetics Laboratory Homepage, NCSU. http://purugganan.gnets.ncsu.edj/
Photo courtesy: puruggananlab
