Lab Members

**Jesse Woodson, PhD**
Principal Investigator
jessewoodson@arizona.edu

B.A. - Biology, Earlham College
Ph.D. - Microbiology, University of Wisconsin.
Laboratory of Jorge Escalante-Semerena
Postdoc - Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA
Laboratory of Joanne Chory

Born and raised in Indiana, I obtained my PhD in Microbiology at the University of Wisconsin studying the genetics and biochemistry of coenzyme (vitamin) B12 biosynthesis in archaea. Next, I turned my microbiological interests to chloroplasts and started a postdoc in the lab of Joanne Chory at the Salk Institute. It was there that I became fascinated in how chloroplasts are integrated into the plant cell and utilize a combination of prokaryotic and eukaryotic mechanisms to thrive. In my lab, we study how abiotic stresses are perceived by chloroplasts and how such stressed chloroplasts control plant and cell physiology.

Current Members

Snigdha Rai, Ph.D. Post-Doctoral Research Associate snigdharai@email.arizona.edu — **Snigdha Rai, PhD**
Post-Doctoral Research Associate
snigdharai@arizona.edu

**Matt Lemke** (he/him/his)
PhD Candidate
matthewlemke@arizona.edu

**Cristian Salazar de Leon** (he/him/his)
PhD Candidate

**Rebeca Acevedo Barboza** (she/her/hers)
PhD Student
racevedobarboza@arizona.edu

**Sophia Daluisio**
Undergraduate Researcher

**Alexa Bustamante**
Undergraduate Researcher

Snigdha was born and raised in India. She received her PhD in Plant Science from Banaras Hindu University where she studied proteomic changes in Anabaena spp. under salt stress; how differential protein expression regulates stress response and adaptation. During her doctoral research, she also worked on characterization of photorespiratory enzyme phosphoglycolate phosphatase at the University of Rostock, Germany as DAAD fellow. In the Woodson Lab, her work focusses on the role of plant U box 4 (PUB4) E3 ubiquitin ligase in chloroplast quality control and understanding how singlet oxygen signal involving PUB4 results in selective chloroplast degradation.

Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jR_IkJoAAAAJ&hl=en

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewlemke2

Originally from Colorado, Matt completed his undergraduate degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology at UA, where he joined the Woodson lab and investigates the molecular processes at play in selective chloroplast degradation and cell death. His work involves the use of a forward genetic approach, activation tagging, in a suppressor screen to identify genes and molecular mechanisms involved in singlet oxygen-induced chloroplast quality control (CQC). He is also investigating how different reactive oxygen species generated in various subcellular compartments affect CQC and is exploring a potential role for microautophagy in CQC. In his free time, Matt enjoys hiking, cinema, photography, and traveling as much as possible.

Cristian is a real human, not a plant!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecaacevedob7/

Originally from México. Rebeca moved to the US during high school and continued her education at Northern Arizona University where she graduated with a B.S in Biological and Natural Resource Sciences. Her work focuses on ribosomal proteins in the chloroplast and how these affect the chloroplast singlet oxygen signal that leads to selective chloroplast degradation.
In her free time she enjoys baking, reading novels and spending time with her tiny dog.

Sophia is also a real human, not a plant! She works along with Matt Lemke studying the impacts of climate change in Cacao and Coffee plants.

You guessed it right! Alexa is not a plant but a real human.