1. BDS Associated faculty

BDS faculty

Dr. Jeff H. Chang, Director

Jeff joined the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology in 2006. He was an early adopter of “next generation sequencing” and his research program uses molecular biology and computational methods to understand the evolutionary, ecological, and mechanistic bases for plant-bacterial symbioses. 

Dr. Joseph Spatafora, Head of BPP

Joey is the head of the department that administers the BDS program. His research program studies the evolutionary biology of fungi. His program uses systematics and comparative genomics to resolve the evolutionary relationships of fungi, understand the genomic changes that drive transitions in fungal lifestyles, and the different life histories of species of fungi. Learn more about Joey's research on his lab website.

Teaching Faculty

Dr. Jeff Anderson

Department of Botany and Plant Pathology

Jeff Anderson’s research program investigates the mechanistic basis of pathogen virulence, in particular, the role of plant metabolites, how they signal pathogens, and how plants can alter their profiles to prevent pathogen attack. His group employs large-scale metabolomic approaches as well as functional genomics. He uses the model interaction between Arabidopsis and Pseudomonas syringae. Jeff teaches Functional Genomics (BDS 478).

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Jeff Chang
Dr. Jeff Chang

Department of Botany and Plant Pathology

Jeff joined the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology in 2006. He was an early adopter of “next generation sequencing” and his research program uses molecular biology and computational methods to understand the evolutionary, ecological, and mechanistic bases for plant-bacterial symbioses. Jeff teaches Introduction to Genome Biology (BDS 474) and Reflect on Experiential Activities (BDS 420).

Dr. Maude David

Departments of Microbiology and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Maude has joint appointments in the Departments of Microbiology and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Her research interests are in understanding the impact of the gut microbiota on behaviors such as Autism Spectrum Disorder and General Anxiety Disorder. Her research group also uses machine learning to improve and mine datasets generated by high throughput sequencing methods. Maude teaches Capstone Projects in Biological Data Science I (BDS 491).

 
Dr. Rebecca Hutchinson

Departments of Computer Science and Fisheries and Wildlife

Rebecca has joint appointments in Computer Science and Fisheries and Wildlife. Her research interests are in applying computational methods to help promote the health of ecosystems. She is developing novel computation methods and models for applications in ecology, particularly in the area of species distribution and habitat models. Rebecca teaches Use and Abuse of Data: Critical Thinking in Science (BDS 211).

Dr. Sam Leiboff

Department of Botany and Plant Pathology

Sam uses large-scale genomic and transcriptomic datasets in his study of plant development. His research scales from the single cell up to species, focusing on Zea mays and its close relative, Sorghum bicolor. Sam will teach Analysis of Biological Data: Case Studies (BDS 411).

Dr. Aaron Liston

Department of Botany and Plant Pathology

Aaron studies the origins and evolutionary processes of polyploidy and sex chromosomes, using the strawberry genus as a model system. Polyploidy occurs recurrently in plants and results in individuals with more than two paired sets of chromosomes. Aaron is also the director of the OSU Herbarium, which houses over half a million specimens of plants and fungi and is a rich collection for research worldwide. Aaron teaches Comparative Genomics (BDS 475).

Dr. Molly Megraw

Department of Botany and Plant Pathology

Molly seeks to understand how gene circuits function in specific plant tissues, over developmental time, and under varying environmental conditions. Her research has applied aspects in synthetic biology in developing plants with greater tolerance to stresses and engineering plants to produce products or use to humans, for example. Molly develops and uses genomic and computational methods in her research. Molly teaches Advanced Computing for Biological Data Analysis (BDS 472) and Introduction to Computing in Life Sciences (BDS 570).

Dr. Jessie Uehling

Department of Botany and Plant Pathology

Jessie is a new member of the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. Her research is focused on understanding the evolution of symbioses of fungi with humans, plants, and bacteria. She employs methods in population genomics and comparative genomics. Jessie teaches Population Genomics (BDS 477). Contact Jessie.

Dr. Tim Warren

Department of Horticulture

Tim is a new member of the Horticulture Department. His research interests are in understanding the neural mechanisms that underlie animal and insect behaviors such as birdsong and spatial navigation in Drosophila. Tim teaches Foundations of Biological Data Sciences (BDS 310) and Computational Approaches for Biological Data (BDS 311).

CGRB Trainers

The Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing

In collaboration with the Biological Data Sciences program and the Department of Statistics, the CGRB offers a number of workshops and classes available to both internal and external faculty, staff, postdocs, and students. Learn more about the CGRB staff.

Associated Research faculty

The following faculty oversee research programs that involve large datasets and are potential mentors for undergraduate students who seek to challenge themselves, be immersed in a real-world research environment, and/or satisfy their Experiential Learning Experiences. The availability of research opportunities is subject to timing, space, and/or funding. Please directly contact faculty to inquire about opportunities.

 

 

Other programs

Faculty lead other programs that are aligned with BDS. These include a Big Data in Ag REEU program as well as summer STEM programs for high school students. Learn more.