Recognizing Plant Physiology first authors: Barunava Patra

Barunava Patra, co-first author of GATA and PIF transcription factors regulate light-induced vindoline biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus

Current Position: Scientist II, The Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, USA

Education: PhD, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India

Non-scientific interests: Travelling, Photography

Brief bio: After obtaining my PhD in Life Sciences and Biotechnology, I joined the University of Kentucky as a postdoctoral fellow. I am currently an independent scientist. For the past ten years at the University of Kentucky, I have been working on the regulation of specialized metabolite biosynthesis in plants. My focus is on three major metabolic pathways for the biosynthesis of flavonoids, terpenoid indole alkaloids and pyridine alkaloids in Arabidopsis, Catharanthus, and Tobacco. My primary interest is to elucidate the transcriptional, posttranscriptional and posttranslational regulatory mechanisms governing the biosynthesis of these specialized metabolites.