Current Members
Dr. Rhoda Brew-Appiah, Postdoctoral Researcher
I earned a BA in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology from Reed College in Portland, Oregon. I then worked for a year as a research assistant at Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, Oregon. My doctoral research was focused on RNAi of the genes in wheat responsible for celiac disease. Currently, I work on abiotic stress genes in monocots such as wheat and barley in the Pacific Northwest, with an emphasis on root-specific expression.
Luigi Peracchi, PhD Student, MPS
Luigi graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2011 with a bachelor’s of science degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. He then worked as an analytical chemist in the agricultural science industry for two years before getting accepted into the Molecular Plant Sciences program at Washington State University. He is currently working towards a PhD in Molecular Plant Sciences (MPS) studying stress-induced lignin production and deposition in root systems of both Brachypodium distachyon and Triticum aestivum.
Miguel Rosas, PhD Student, MPS
Miguel Rosas received his bachelor’s degree in biology from California State University-San Marcos. As an undergraduate, he worked under the supervision of Dr. Matthew Escobar investigating nitrate induced class III glutaredoxin proteins and their regulatory role in the primary root growth of Arabidopsis thaliana. Miguel joined the Sanguinet lab in 2019 where he is currently working on characterizing the biochemical and genetic regulatory mechanisms of BUZZ, a root-specific kinase involved in root hair development. In his spare time Miguel likes to go backpacking with friends, have bonfires at the beach, and go on hikes with his dog.
Dylan Oates, PhD student, MPS
Dylan Oates holds a M.S. in Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences from the University of Hawai’i and currently pursuing a PhD in Molecular Plant Sciences at Washington State University. His research focus is to elucidate the interaction of vernalization with photoperiodism in winter wheat and brachypodium. To do so, he takes a molecular genetics approach to determine the underlying mechanisms to the epigenetic interactions and cold response that regulate this complex process.
Past experience working for the USDA-ARS, he realized the importance for mentorship in the STEM field. Dylan has built skills in effective science communication and outreach by becoming a big brother for BBBS, mentoring for LSAMP organization, assisting in teaching undergraduate level courses, and instructing for GENE-ius Day program focusing on students from k-12. On top of that, Dylan has continued in this pursuit by participating in graduate student organization (GSO) where he has been a part of organizing plant science symposiums and advocating for passing bills and policies beneficial to the field of science.
K.J. Fitzgerald, Undergraduate Researcher
I am starting my senior year at WSU studying Organic Agriculture. I grew up on my family’s dairy in Southern Idaho and am passionate about local food systems and working towards global food security. I aid in several projects and focus on plant cultivation and green house management.
Former Lab Members
Xiaochi (Max) Ma, PhD Student
I started to pursue my Ph.D. in Crop Science at WSU in the Fall of 2015 and graduated in Fall 2019. My research mainly focusesd on the physiological and genetic responses of wine grapevines to water stress. I previously obtained my M.S. in Ecology from Nanjing Agricultural University, China and my B.S. in Ecology from Nanjing Forestry University, China.
Dr. Thiel Lehman, Ph.D. Student
I finished my Ph.D. in Crop Science in the Sanguinet lab in May 2019. My projects examined hormonal regulation of cell wall defective mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana and root hair initiation/elongation in both A. thaliana and Brachypodium distachyon. Originally from Logan, Utah, I earned my bachelor degrees in Chemistry and Biology, with a focus in life science, from Utah State University in 2013.
Ying Wu
Ying Wu is a visiting Ph.D. student from Northeast Normal University in Changchun, China.
Alex Mojcher, Technician
Zara York, MS Student
Bikash Ghimire, MS Student
Rachel Dannay, Rotation Student
Lydia Fields, Undergraduate Researcher
Lydia Tilley, Undergraduate Researcher
Leo Orozco, Undergraduate Researcher
Raul Arroyo, Undergraduate Researcher
Anna Pettyjohn, Undergraduate Researcher
Maggie Risher, Undergraduate Researcher
Sam Neff, Undergraduate Researcher
T’ian Tai Zemelka, Undergraduate Researcher
Rachel Silverthorn, Upward Bound High School Intern, Summer 2016
Andrea Picardel, Upward Bound High School Intern, Summer 2017
Luis Vasquez, Upward Bound High School Intern, Summer 2018