Merchant Lab

Sabeeha Merchant: Principal Investigator

Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology
Distinguished Professor of Plant Biology
Faculty Senior Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Adjunct Professor of Biochemistry, UCLA
Warren C. Eveland Chair in Biological Sciences

BS and PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Post-doctoral Scholar, Harvard University
Searle Scholar; National Institutes of Health Research Career Development Award; UCLA Faculty Career Development Awards; Guggenheim Foundation Fellow; Charles Albert Shull Award of ASPB; Herbert Newby McCoy Award; AAAS Fellow; ASPB Fellow; NAS Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal; ASPB Charles F. Kettering Award; Humboldt Forschungspreis (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation); Darbaker Prize from the Botanical Society of America; Elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; External Member, Max Planck Institute – Molecular Plant Physiology, Elected to Germany Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

sabeeha [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Sean D. Gallaher: Research Scientist

BS and PhD, University of California, Los Angeles

I am interested in leveraging computational biology strategies (e.g. transcriptomics, genomics, etc.) to interrogate the inner workings of green algae.

gallaher [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Anne Glaesener: Research Scientist

B.Sc., M.Sc., Technical University Braunschweig, Germany (Biotechnology)
PhD, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany

My research focuses on trace metal nutrition, specifically Cu, Fe & Zn, in photosynthetic algae.

aglaesener [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Jeff Moseley: Research Scientist

B.Sc. University of California, San Diego, Biochemistry
Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles, Molecular Biology
Post-doc Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Plant Biology

Algae nutrition, photosynthesis, fatty acid and lipid biosynthesis, biotechnology applications

jlmoseley [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Charles Perrino: Research Scientist

B.A. Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley

M.S. Environmental Engineering, University of Florida

My research focuses on developing instrumental methods and validating quality control for analyzing diverse samples, with a particular emphasis on trace element detection using ICP-MS. Applying this analysis to biological and environmental samples, I explores the impact of trace metals on algal ecosystems.

pens [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Usha Lingappa: Postdoctoral Scholar

BA in astrobiology from Hampshire College
PhD in geobiology from Caltech

For my postdoctoral research, I am using model algae to explore the disconnect between life in the natural environment and how we understand biology in the lab.

ufl [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Jon Lin: Postdoctoral Scholar
NIH Fellowship

Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Michigan State University

My research is dedicated to the development of oleaginous green algae as a sustainable platform for producing valuable lipid feedstock essential for both food and renewable energy. In addition to my work at the Sabeeha Merchant Lab, I am affiliated with the Trent Northen group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where I conducts research on lipid metabolism.

linyt [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Helen Liu: Postdoctoral Scholar
NSF-GRFP Fellowship

B.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Crop Sciences, Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology)
Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley (Plant and Microbial Biology)

My research focuses on understanding iron homeostasis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. I am interested in how photosynthesis, and generally the chloroplast, acclimates to iron deficiency by leveraging both Chlamydomonas and the halotolerant micro algae, Dunaliella.

hwliu2 [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Maria Clara Avendaño Monsalve: Postdoctoral Scholar

PhD. in Biochemistry. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM.
MS. in Biochemistry. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México,UNAM
BS in Biological Engineering. Universidad Nacional de Colombia, UNAL Medellín

My research focuses on revealing the function of several CGL (Conserved in Green Lineage) genes that are codified as polycistrons in Auxenochlorella protothecoides. Furthermore, I am working on building a toolkit that facilitates studying the cell biology of A. protothecoides.

maclavendanomo [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Sunnyjoy Dupuis: Graduate Student (Microbiology)
UC Dissertation Year Fellow

B.S., California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Microbiology, Minor of Environmental Studies)

I study how diurnal cycles influence algal gene expression, metabolism, responses to light stress, and symbiosis with bacterial partners. I probe synchronized populations of Chlamydomonas with transcriptomics, proteomics, and physiological measurements over diurnal cycles to interrogate the alga’s ecophysiology: how it is shaped by its environment, and how it contributes to that environment in return.

sunnyjoy_dupuis [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Dimitrios Camacho: Graduate Student (Molecular and Cell Biology)
Chancellor’s Fellowship

B.S., Dominican University of California, Biological Sciences (Molecular Cell Biology)

I am interested in using multi-omics and synthetic biology approaches to interrogate various trace metal nutrient sensing and acquisition mechanisms of green algae. I am specifically interested in the transcriptomic responses of Chromochloris zofingiensis and Auxenochlorella protothecoides under Cu, Zn, and Fe deficiencies.

dimitrios_camacho [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Marco Dueñas: Graduate Student (Plant Biology)
NIH Fellowship, Chancellor’s Fellowship, Newton Graduate Fellowship

B.S., University of California, Riverside (Biology) Summa Cum Laude

My research focuses on developing green algae as platforms for both basic fundamental discovery and synthetic biology application. Some of my current projects include deciphering the mechanism behind polycistronic expression in green algae and piecing together lipid droplet formation in Auxenochlorella protothecoides.

marco.duenas [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Victor Zhong: Graduate Student (Molecular Cell Biology)

NSF-GRFP Fellowship

B.S., University of Idaho, (Biochemistry and Biotechnology)

I am interested in studying the changes in the cellular structure of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii during light transitions. How does the cellular structure adapt during these transitions? Are there any distinctive macro or micro-structural changes that occur during this process?

Victorzhong [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Lauren Chiang: Undergraduate

laurentchiang [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Elery Loggia: Undergraduate

I am a Microbial Biology student interested in bioengineering fungi and other atypical microbes for a regenerative future. Currently I am working with Dr. Jon Lin on developing green algae to produce specific lipids for food and energy. 

eleryloggia [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Nathan Yu: Undergraduate

My research focuses on studying base pair deletion limits using homoligous recombination and implementing sugar or phosphate selective markers in the algae Auxenochlorella Prototheciodes.

rockquill [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Jinyan Wang: Undergraduate

My research focuses on the transcriptional efficiency of promoter elements of different metal-responsive genes and deciphering phenotypic functions of photosynthetic genes in Auxenochlorella protothecoides. 

Email: wangjinyan [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Jude Edwards: Lab Technician Alumna

University of California, Berkeley Molecular Environmental Biology B.S. with Honors
PMB Graduate Student

Radhika Mehta: Postdoctoral Scholar Alumna

BSc (Chemistry) St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi
MSc by research (Inorganic Chemistry) University of Oxford
PhD (Chemistry) University of Texas at Austin
Pumpkinseed, Research Scientist

My research interests broadly include studying metals in biology- especially the interplay between the labile and metalloprotein-bound metal pools. In my postdoctoral research, I am studying the copper transcription factor, copper response regulator-1 (CRR1), responsible for controlling copper sensing and nutrition in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. More specifically, I am employing molecular biology and genetics tools to delineate steps between copper sensing and CRR1 degradation.

Valle Ojeda Servian: Postdoctoral Scholar Alumna

B.S., M.S. and PhD, University of Seville, Spain

The objective of my project is to go beyond inventories of redox modified proteins by monitoring the proteome-wide dynamics of disulphide-dithiol status in the context of a diurnal metabolic cycle in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The findings will be important for modelling diurnal metabolic flux, which is useful for developing biotechnological strategies, whether synthetic biology or pharmacological, for manipulating metabolism for production of biofuels and bioproducts, where Chlamydomonas is a key reference organism.

Stefan Schmollinger: Research Scientist Alumna

PhD, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany
Postdoctoral Scholar, UCLA
Research Assistant Professor, MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University

I am interested in acclimation responses to environmental cues in Chlamydomonas, and also elemental analysis in bulk or spatial distribution in eukaryotes. Currently searching for the point of intersection.

Daniela Strenkert: Research Scientist Alumna

PhD, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany
Postdoctoral Scholar, UCLA
Assistant Professor, MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University

I am studying how transcriptional changes are orchestrated with changes of the epigenetic landscape in the eukaryotic, single-celled green algae Chlamydomonas. Chlamydomonas is a superior reference system since it offers all advantages of a single celled, eukaryotic, microbial culture system that can be combined with genome wide profiling approaches.

Rory Craig: Research Scientist Alumna

PhD, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany
Postdoctoral Scholar, UCLA
Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen