NSF NPGI Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2012

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This action funds a National Plant Genome Initiative Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2012. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow to focus his studies in plant genomics with an emphasis on quantitative genetics, modern breeding approaches, and bioinformatics. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Joshua R. Puzey is "Connecting Genetics and Form: Developing an Automated High-throughput Phenotyping Platform using Mimulus". The host institution for the fellowship is Duke University (North Carolina) and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. John Willis. Co-faculty mentors are Drs. John Kelly (University of Kansas, KS) and Sharon Gerbode (Harvey Mudd College, CA).Linking genotype and environment to phenotype is a fundamental goal of quantitative genetics. As a first step, this project will develop an automated phenotyping platform using a set of 600 developmental variable lines in Mimulus. The primary design criteria for this platform are limiting cost while maximizing configurability. High levels configurability will allow researchers and breeders working on specific questions in other systems to alter this platform to their specific needs. Algorithms traditionally used for astronomy and colloidal physics image analysis will be employed for plant time-lapse image analysis.Training objectives include computational science, physics, quantitative genetics and plant genomics. Broader impacts include capacity-building and advanced training for students from the United States to engage in interdisciplinary research in plant improvement and associated sciences such as physiology, quantitative genetics, and computational biology.