The Merchant Lab
Principal Investigator
 | Sabeeha Merchant Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology BS and PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison sabeeha at berkeley dot edu |
Post doctoral scholars + Research Scientists
 | Sean D. Gallaher 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 ed |
 | Anne Glaesener B.Sc., M.Sc., Technical University Braunschweig, Germany (Biotechnology) I am the lab manager and admin coordinator of the Merchant Lab.
aglaesener at berkeley dot edu |
 | Jeff Moseley B.Sc. University of California, San Diego, Biochemistry Algae nutrition, photosynthesis, fatty acid and lipid biosynthesis, biotechnology applications
jlmoseley at berkeley dot edu |
 | Usha Lingappa BA in astrobiology from Hampshire College 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 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 |
Graduate Students
 | Dimitrios Camacho 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 |
 | Sunnyjoy Dupuis B.S., California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Microbiology, Minor of Environmental Studies) I am interested in studying symbiosis between Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and rhizobial bacteria. How do these partners communicate to establish and maintain beneficial interactions? How does this change the metabolisms and genetic programs of each partner? sunnyjoy_dupuis at berkeley dot edu |
 | Helen Liu B.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Crop Sciences, Plant Biotechnology and Molecular 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 |
 | Marco Dueñas B.S., University of California, Riverside (Biology) Summa Cum Laude My research focuses on studying polycistronic expression in algae systems, both to uncover a mechanism and for synthetic biology application of rare products and designer lipids in the algae Auxenochlorella Protothecoides marco.duenas at berkeley dot edu |
Lab Technician
 | Jude Edwards Lab Technician University of California, Berkeley Molecular Environmental Biology B.S. with Honors judith.edwards_23 at berkeley dot edu |
Undergraduate Students
 | Jordan Chastain Undergraduate Researcher I am interested in understanding how Chlamydomonas interacts with heterotrophic bacteria in natural environments. I study microbial growth patterns and requirements for various nutrients, such as vitamins and carbon sources. I would also like to apply these findings to improving microalgae fitness in space life support systems. jordanlynne at berkeley dot edu |
Lauren Chiang Undergraduate Researcher laurentchiang at berkeley dot edu | |
Sonia Roedersheimer Undergraduate Researcher |
Alumni
 | Radhika Mehta BSc (Chemistry) St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi 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. radmehta at berkeley dot edu
|
 | Valle Ojeda Servian 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. valle.ojeser at berkeley dot edu |
 | Stefan Schmollinger PhD, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany 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. schmollinger at berkeley dot edu |
 | Daniela Strenkert PhD, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany 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. dstrenkert at berkeley dot edu |
Openings
Positions for Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars may be available for all Merchant Lab projects.
Postdoctoral candidates with demonstrated research productivity (publication record) and expertise in biochemistry, cell biology, geochemistry, genetics, genomics, and microbiology are especially encouraged to apply. Please send the following to Sabeeha Merchant: a cover letter that describes your past research experience and motivation for applying to the Merchant Lab, a brief description of proposed research for your postdoctoral project, your most relevant published papers (for multi-author papers, please describe your contribution) as well as names and contact information for 3 or more potential references (letters are not needed during the initial stage).
Ph.D. candidates should apply to one of the following programs at UC Berkeley: Plant and Microbial Biology, Molecular and Cell Biology, Chemical Biology. All programs allow graduate students to rotate through multiple labs in the first year, providing a diversity of research experiences prior to selecting a lab.