Why is the field of phenomics important?

Interviews with Phenome 2018 Organizing Committee Members

Attendees of the Phenome 2018 conference were interviewed to share their perspective on the field of phenomics. Covering such topics as standardization of methodology and data, facilitating collaborations across scientific disciplines, obstacles the field faces, and funding sources, these interviews are an overview of the field and a concise way to catch up on the Phenome 2018 conference. Join Rishi Masalia –  science communicator and University of Georgia graduate student – as he interviews a diverse group of well-known scientists all striving to understand the current standing and future directions of this expanding scientific field.

Dr. Christopher Topp is a Principal Investigator/Assistant Member at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the Chair of the Phenome 2018 conference. His current research interests are subterranean phenotyping and characterizing the environmental and genetic factors that condition root growth. As a postdoctoral scholar, he led the development of a high-throughput 3D root imaging and analysis pipeline, and applied it to map regions of the rice genome controlling root architecture. Long-term, he aims to understand how genotype directs phenotype for agriculturally important traits.

Read more about the Topp Lab

Listen to Chris Topp’s interview as he discusses the following: Why is the field of phenomics important? How do you best facilitate collaborative efforts across disciplines? Who is funding this work?

Interview – Chris Topp

Dr. Carolyn Lawrence-Dill is an Associate Professor in the Genetics, Development and Cell Biology Department at Iowa State University. Her work enables the use of existing and emerging knowledge to establish common standards and methods for data collection, integration, and sharing. Such efforts help to eliminate redundancy, improve the efficiency of current and future projects, and increase the availability of data and data analysis tools for plant biologists working in diverse crops across the world.

Read more about the Lawrence-Dill Plant Informatics and Computation Lab

Listen to Carolyn Lawrence-Dill’s interview as she discusses the following: Why is phenomics important? How best do you create standards for the field as a whole?

Interview – Carolyn Lawrence-Dill

Dr. Jennifer Clarke is a Professor in the Food Science and Technology Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is also the Director of the Quantitative Life Science Initiative. Dr. Clarke works with the Associate Vice Chancellor for the Life Sciences to enable and integrate ‘big data’ sciences at UNL and across the University of Nebraska system. Dr. Clarke’s research interests encompass statistical methodology (with an emphasis on high dimensional and predictive methods), statistical computation, bioinformatics/computational biology, multi-type data analysis, data mining/machine learning, and bacterial genomics/metagenomics (gut function initiative).

Listen to Jennifer Clarke’s interview as she discusses the following: Why is phenomics important? How best do you foster/build collaborative relationships? Who is funding this work?

Interview – Jennifer Clarke