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Meet Travis
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Graduate program: Systems Synthetic and Physical Biology
Year in graduate school: 2
Expected graduation date and degree: May 2028, PhD
Hometown: Tremonton, Utah, United States
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What is the problem your thesis addresses?
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Soil microbes remove vast quantities of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere for long-term storage in the soil. My project develops tools and techniques to engineer soil microbes, especially fungi so that we can convert more greenhouse gases for storage in soil.
Research Focus:
Introducing genetic programs into non-model bacteria and fungi can be time-consuming and inefficient. I use a high-throughput method to track horizontal gene transfer through soil microbial consortia and identify members that can uptake engineered DNA. Additionally, I will look for bacteria that can efficiently transfer DNA to fungi.
- What do you see as the most pressing sustainability challenge?
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Finding agreement and unity at local, national, and global levels as we make necessary changes for a sustainable, healthy future.
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Publications
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Oral presentation at SEED 2024: Seamons, T., Masiello, C.A., Stadler, L., Chappell, J., and Silberg, J.J. (2024) Using RNA-Addressable Memory to Track the Host Range of Gene Transfer in Soil (Synthetic Biology: Engineering, Evolution & Design, Atlanta, GA)