Recognizing Plant Direct first authors: Meng Xie
Meng Xie, first author of Identification of functional single nucleotide polymorphism of Populus trichocarpa PtrEPSP-TF and determination of its transcriptional effect
Current Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Education: PhD in Plant Biology from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, BS in Bioengineering from China Agricultural University
Non-scientific Interests: wife, cats, hiking
Brief bio: My research interests are largely focused on the understanding of genetic regulation in plants. In Dr. Bin Yu’s lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I studied molecular mechanisms regulating small RNA metabolism and small RNA-induced gene silencing. I joined Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in 2015 and I am under the supervision of Dr. Wellington Muchero, Dr. Jin-Gui (Jay) Chen, and Dr. Gerald A. Tuskan. At ORNL, my work focuses on functional genomic and cross-species studies of genetic mechanisms regulating phenylpropanoid and lignin biosynthesis in bioenergy crops (e.g. poplar, rice, switchgrass). I am also interested in using comparative genomic approaches to study beneficial plant traits and heritable human diseases.
