WALII team

WALII operates as a virtual research institute that brings together scientists and trainees from nine institutions across the United States to collaborate and cross-train on nine major projects. Each project is carried out by labs at 3-7 institutions, led by a
​Co-PI from different institutes, and uses a wide range of tools, biological systems, and disciplines.

Institute Director

Seung Yon (Sue) Rhee

Director - Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Plant Biology, and Plant, Soil, and Microbes, Michigan State University

theme 1: surviving the solid state

​Thomas boothby, theme lead

Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming

Shahar sukenik, project lead

Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of California, Merced
Project: Is glass strength associated with protective capacity?

theme 2: rehydration and recovery

Christina walters, theme lead

Supervisory Plant Physiologist, USDA-National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation

sterling field, associate lead

Postdoctoral Fellow, Michigan State University

Hugo TAPIA, project lead

Assistant Professor of Biology, California State University Channel Islands
Project: How does partial re-hydration affect desiccation tolerance?

theme 3: molecular engineering

Alex HOLEHOUSE, theme lead & project lead 

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University in St. Louis
Project: Rational design of de novo proteins for desiccation tolerance in cells and organisms

Steven BOEYNAEMS, project lead 

Assistant Professor of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
Investigator at Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital
Project: Molecular rules of membraneless organelle water responsiveness

theme 4: evolutionary dynamics

Moises EXPOSITO-ALONSO, project lead 

Assistant Professor of Global Change Biology, University of California Berkeley
Freeman Hrabowski Scholar, Howard Hugues Medical Institutes (HHMI)
Project: Identify genetic determinants underlying desiccation tolerance by mining natural variation in seed germination across A. thaliana populations

Animation & Visualization

Janet IWASA

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine ​

Administrative team

Elena Lazarus

Scientific Coordinator, Michigan State University
Trainees
Senior Research Associates
Flavia Bossi

Rhee Lab
​Carnegie Science
Hannah Tetreault
​
USDA-​NLGRP​
Seif Tekaya

Boothby Lab
​Univ. of Wyoming
Silvia Sanchez Martinez
Boothby Lab
​Univ. of Wyoming
Postdoctoral Researchers
Maliheh Esfahanian

Moi Lab
​Carnegie Science

Rachel Torrez
 Iwasa Lab
Univ. of Utah
Margot Riggi

 Iwasa Lab
Univ. of Utah

Sofia Romero
Sukenik Lab
UC Merced
​Olivia Maria Silva Carmo
Boeynaems  Lab
Baylor College of Medicine
Purva Karia

Rhee Lab 
​Carnegie Science
Lab Managers
Lisa Hill
​USDA-​NLGRP

Graduate Student Researchers
Aidan Flynn
Holehouse Lab
​Washington Univ. St. Louis
Cathy Mercado
VanBuren Lab
​Michigan State Univ.

Garrett Ginell
Holehouse Lab
​Washington Univ. St. Louis
Kara Hunter
Sukenik Lab
​UC Merced

Nicolas Mendez
Boeynaems  Lab
Baylor College of Medicine
Tyler Gonzalez
Boothby Lab
​Univ. of Wyoming
Alison Flynt
Boothby Lab
​Univ. of Wyoming

Chloe Grabb​
Rhee Lab
​Michigan State Univ.

Jarrod Reister
Boothby Lab
​Univ. of Wyoming

Kenny Nguyen
Boothby Lab
​Univ. of Wyoming

Serena Lotreck
VanBuren Lab
​Michigan State Univ.

Vindya Kumara
Boothby Lab
​Univ. of Wyoming
Anna Pardo
VanBuren Lab Michigan State Univ.

Ethan Weiner
Otegui Lab
Univ. of Washington Madison
Jenny Schuster
VanBuren Lab Michigan State Univ.

Manuel Cubillos
Boeynaems  Lab
Baylor College of Medicine
Shraddha KC
Boothby Lab
​Univ. of Wyoming
Azeem Horani
Sukenik Lab
UC Merced

Evan Saldivar
Rhee Lab
​Carnegie Science

John Ramirez
Boothby Lab
​Univ. of Wyoming

Miffy Wu
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Sourav Biswas
Boothby Lab
​Univ. of Wyoming
Research Assistants and Technicians
Andrew Scheil
Rhee Lab
Michigan State Univ.

Shaima Ibrahim​
USDA-​NLGRP
Annie Walgen
Boothby Lab
​​Univ. of Wyoming

Sheila Ferer
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Jacob Gantz
Rhee Lab
Michigan State Univ.

Vincent Nicholson
Boothby Lab
​Univ. of Wyoming
Keegan Pham
Moi Lab
​Carnegie Science
Undergraduate Student Researchers
Alejandra Arroyo
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Dakarai Young
Rhee Lab
Michigan State Univ.

Gaby Amador
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Alina Vane
Tapia Lab
​CSU Channel Islands
Edie Gollub
Sukenik Lab
UC Merced

Griselda Padilla
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Alisha Greenlaw
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Elisha Vil
Rhee Lab
Michigan State Univ.

Jailene Martinez
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Brandon Reyes
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Emily Heltsley
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Ryan Brener
Tapia Lab
CSU Channel Islands
Visiting Scholars
Ann Hui Liu
 Iwasa Lab
Univ. of Utah
Neusa Steiner​
​Federal Univ. of Santa Catalina
​​USDA-​NLGRP
WALII Alumni
Anthony Trent
Boothby Lab Alumni
​Univ. of Wyoming

Jack Cox
Rhee Lab Alumni
​Carnegie Science

Laura Santos e Silva

Flemming Lab
Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Michael Ozolins​
Flemming Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Will Dwyer ​
Rhee Lab Alumni
​Carnegie Science
Ariana Fobbs
Rhee Lab Alumni
​Michigan State Univ.

Jacob Loeffelholz
Boothby Lab Alumni
Univ. of Wyoming

Margaret (Grace) Flemming
Flemming Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Robyn Zallen
Flemming Lab
Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Ava Kloss-Schmidt
Rhee Lab​ Alumni
Carnegie Science

Kap Kapoor
Rhee Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.

Matt Chansler

Flemming Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Selena Rice
Rhee Lab Alumni
Carnegie Science
Emma Meese
Boothby Lab Alumni
​Univ. of Wyoming

Loretta Klecker
Flemming Lab Alumni
Michigan State Univ.
Maxwell Packebush

Boothby Lab Alumni
​Univ. of Wyoming

Siavash Heshmati
Flemming Lab
Alumni
Michigan State Univ.