Welcome 2024 PLB Graduate Students!
By Sara Kraeuter, Caleb Hess
Mussah Assan
Hometown: Mankessim, Central Region, Ghana
Academic History: BS in Biology Education
from University of Educational Winneba, Ghana
Research Interests: Biology education, model-based learning, visual representation, influencing participation
and motivation
Advisor: Tammy Long
Personal Interests: Playing football and volleyball, cooking, traveling to research fields, and listening
to music.
Shang-Huan Chiang
Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan
Academic History: BS in Agricultural
Chemistry and MS in Plant Pathology and Microbiology from National Taiwan University
Academic History: BS in Agricultural
Chemistry and MS in Plant Pathology and Microbiology from National Taiwan University
Research Interests: Using bioinformatics tools to analyze plant physiological signals
Advisor: Shinhan Shiu
Personal Interests: Scuba diving, outdoor activities, and trying different foods
Personal Interests: Scuba diving, outdoor activities, and trying different foods
Josefa Corpuz
Hometown: New York City, NY
Academic History: BA in English from UCLA, BA in Biological Sciences from Hunter College
Research Interests: Ecology, economic botany, applied statistics, plant morphology/identification
Advisor: Lauren Sullivan
Personal Interests: English literature, history (esp. late 18th c. American), classical music, theatre
Erin Cushing
Hometown: Lawrence, KS
Academic History: BS in Biology from Rockhurst
Research Interests: Making discoveries in plants that can be used to help solve climate change. I am particularly interested in bioremediation.
Advisor: Rotations
Personal Interests: Playing and coaching volleyball, playing pickleball.
I love to cook and try new recipes and I make the best banana bread.
I love exploring my city and going to local events, thrifts and festivals.
I am learning French and I have a 1-year streak on Duolingo!
Ronnie Dewberry
Hometown: New York, NY
Academic History: BS in Horticulture
from University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Interests: Plant Secondary
metabolism-pigments and nutraceuticals, metabolic engineering, protein characterization, organelle biology
Advisor: Erich Grotewold
Personal Interests: Personal stock trading, biking, video games, reading about health trends related
to dieting
Ben Feld
Hometown: Southfield, MI
Academic History: BS from Wayne State University
Research Interests: Grasses, Prairies, and Invasive Species
Advisor: Carolyn Malmstrom
Personal Interests: Exploring, camping, gaming
Chloe Grabb
Hometown: Romeo, MI
Academic History: BS in Horticulture from MSU
Research Interests: I am interested in seed biology and my research will be investigating the complex relationships between desiccation
tolerance, longevity, and rehydration.
Advisor: Sue Rhee
Personal Interests: I love growing plants and I have a large collection of houseplants that seems to
grow larger by the minute. I’m passionate about outreach and I try volunteer for STEM
events whenever I can. I also volunteer most weeks at the Constellation Cat Café.
Chandler Hendrickson
Hometown: Stockbridge, MI
Academic History: BS in Biotechnology from
Ferris State University
Research Interests: Plant metabolism
Advisor: Daniela Strenkert
Personal Interests: Videogames, chess, gardening
Jonaid Hossain
Hometown: Narsingdi, Dhaka, Bangladeshz
Academic History: BS from
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Bangladesh
MS from University of Göttingen, Germany & Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain
Research Interests: Molecular Biology
Advisor: Rotating with Eva Farre, Sue Rhee, and Federica Brandizzi
Abby Jensen
Hometown: Kearney, MO
Academic History: BS in Plant Sciences from
University of Missouri-Columbia
Research Interests: Environmental effects on plant adaptation, molecular genetics, and using applied
sciences to connect with Farmers and produce better agriculture.
Advisor: Rotating with David Lowry, Sarah Lebeis, and Bob VanBuren
Personal Interests: Reading, walking, gardening, buying too many things at farmers markets
Jack Pritchard
Hometown: Boulder, CO
Academic History: BS Cornell University, MS University of Michigan, MLA University of Michigan
Research Interests: Restoration ecology, native plant communities,
and the role of prescribed burning in restoring fire-suppressed
oak savannas in the Great Lakes region
Advisor: Lars Brudvig
Personal Interests: Ceramics, Backpacking, Fishing, Skiing, Gardening and Pizza!
Taylor Smith
Hometown: Tornado, WV
Academic History: BS in Biochemistry from West Virginia University
Research Interests: Plant metabolism or photosynthetic efficiency
Advisor: Rotations with Bjorn Hamberger, Aleksandra Skirycz, and
Berkley Walker
Personal Interests: Hiking and paddle boarding
Michael Tang
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Academic History: BS in Biology from
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research Interests: I discovered my interest in plant biology and molecular sciences at the Chen Lab
au UIUC. I worked on the study of sugar transporters in sugarcane in efforts towards
creating ultra productive biofuel. I hope to discover new insights in molecular plant
sciences with the potential to improve crop resilience, productivity, or sustainability.
Advisor: Rotations
Personal Interests: Video games, reading, music
Magie Williams
Hometown: Ocqueoc (Native Name: wau-wa-auk), MI
Academic History: BS in PLB and BMB from MSU, MS in Plant and Fungal Conversation,
Diversity, and Taxonomy from Queen Mary University of London
Research Interests: How plants adapt and evolve to climate change, the role that polyploidization by
hybridization has on plasticity and adaptability in a hybrid complex
Advisor: Emily Josephs
Personal Interests: Hiking, seeing shows at the Wharton, rotating hobbies. I love being by the water and
I can catch sea lamprey with my bare hands
