Journal of Plant Biotechnology Research

Prof. Hikmet Budak is a Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology in Montana State University. He received his PhD in plant genetics and breeding from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), USA. Prof. Budak worked as a Coordinator and led grass genetics and breeding program at UNL. He was honored with Turkish Young Scientist Award and Achievement Award by WORLCOMP06, USA. Prof. Budak is an IWGSC Coordinating Committee member. As part of the IWGSC, Hikmet & his team have done the survey sequence of wheat chromosome 5D and contributed to survey sequencing of 1AL. He & his team have also completed the physical maps of chromosome 1AL and 5DS and collaborated with Bayer Crop Science on the development of the physical map for 5DL. Prof. Budak's research interest includes genetics and genomics of drought, plant disease resistance, pathogen infections and methods.

Dr. Bharat Bhushan is Professor, Ohio Eminent Scholar and Director of Nanoprobe Laboratory for Bio & Nanotechnology and Biomimetics in Department of Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State University of Columbus, USA. He received his Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from University of Colorado. Dr. Bhushan then worked as Program Manager in R&D Division of Mechanical Technology Inc, Latham, NY. He also worked as Development Engineer/Manager of General Products Division Lab at IBM Corporation, Tucson. Dr. Bhushan is now Graduate Research Faculty Advisor in Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Affiliated Faculty Member at Battelle Center for Science & Technology Policy, John Glenn College of Public Affairs. Dr. Bharat Bhushan's Research interests include fundamental studies in the interdisciplinary areas of bio/nanotribology/nanomechanics and nanomaterials characterization in bio/nanotechnology and biomimetics with a focus on scanning probe techniques.

Prof. Gabriella Pasqua is a Professor since 2001 and Chief of Plant Cell Biotechnology Laboratory at the Department of Environmental Biology, University "Sapienza" of Rome. She worked as an Associate Professor of Botany at the University of Catania from 1992 to 1995. Prof. Pasqua Graduated Magna cum Laude in Natural Sciences in 1977 at the University of Rome "La Sapienza". The scientific interests of Prof. Pasqua is also directed to the recovery of bioactive molecules from grapevine waste materials to be used in the preparation of nutraceuticals and functional cosmetics. She is also working on the application of nanobiotechnology as a new strategy for the improvement of plant growth and defense against pathogens in the integrated management of crops in the field and to obtain food products free of pesticide residues and/or contaminants.

Prof. Jean Louis Hilbert is a Professor and Head of a Research Unit associated with the French National Agronomic Research Institute (INRA), France. He was involved mainly in projects concerning chicories, like somatic embryogenesis. Prof. Hilbert earned his PhD in plant and forest sciences in 1989 from the University of Nancy, France. In 1990, He joined the University of Lille Nord de France in Villeneuve d'Ascq, as an Assistant Professor to introduce molecular approaches for studying somatic embryogenesis in plants. Since 2009, Hilbert was involved in plant secondary metabolism and leading projects about hydroxycinnamic acids and lactone sesquiterpenes in chicory. Prof. Hilbert is now in charge of the team "Plant Quality and Adaptation to Stress" in the Laboratory of Agrofood and Biotechnology, Institute Charles Viollette.

Dr. Artemi Cerda is a Professor in the Department of Geography at University of Valencia, Spain. He developed his PhD researching the Infiltration Capacity of Mediterranean Soil from 1989 till 1993. His post-doctorate studies in The Netherlands, Israel, Bolivia and Extremadura researched on the soil hydrology, the impact of climate on geomorphological processes and on the fire and agriculture impact on soils. His position as researched in the Desertification Research Centre and the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology from 1998 till 2002 about the interaction of seeds, plants and erosion, and the land management and soil erosion in the Pyrenees contributed to an open view of the soil erosion processes accelerated by the humankind. His research interest include soil erosion, land degradation, desertification, agriculture managements, Mediterranean, soil hydrology.

Dr. Wenyan Xiao is an Associate Professor at Saint Louis University, USA. Dr. Xiao studies the mechanism underlying epigenetic regulation of gene expression using the model plant Arabidopsis. Dr. Xiao received his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University and started as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Saint Louis University in 2007. His laboratory is employing genetic, molecular, and genomic approaches to investigate how gene imprinting is controlled and regulates plant reproductive development. Dr. Xiao and his colleagues have showed that DNA methyltransferaseMET1 methylates and silences imprinted genes, and DNA glycosylase DEMETER antagonizes MET1 to demethylate the maternal allele of the imprinted genes, thus resulting in imprinted gene expression. Recently he is involved in a research to show that DNA methylation undergoes dynamic changes during seed development.

Dr. Antonio Scopa is an Associate Professor of Agricultural Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences. He worked as an Assistant Professor in Agricultural Chemistry at University of Basilicata. Dr. Scopa is also a member of Italian Society of Agricultural Chemistry, Italian Research Group of Pesticides and Environment etc. He is involved in scientific collaborations for "Development of sustainable systems to limit the negative effects of pesticide use in Morocco". Dr. Scopa's research interests include Soil chemistry, Soil remediation, Chemistry of natural substances in vegetables and soil, Effects of biotic and abiotic stresses on soil and plant, Pesticide chemistry and photochemistry etc.

Dr. Kathryn Kamo is a Plant Physiologist at United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). She worked as visiting professor for The Advanced Institute for Technology, Kinki University, Japan. Dr. Kamo received her PhD from Indiana University in Plant Sciences and Microbiology in the year 1982. She developed the technology for genetic engineering of gladiolus that is reproducible and applicable to many cultivars, developed gladiolus plants with short-term resistance to Cucumber mosaic virus and isolated a polyubiquitin promoter from gladiolus that has been found to direct high levels of gene expression in gladiolus. Dr. Kamo research focuses on Identifying genes that affect the development of the root lesion nematode and use these genes in lilies to develop resistance to nematodes etc.

Dr. Antonia Carlucci is a Researcher in the Department of Sciences of Agriculture, Food and Environment in Foggia, Italy. She is also head of plant pathology and diagnosis laboratory for quarantine fungal and bacterial pathogens in University of Foggia. Dr. Carlucci received her PhD in Biotechnology of agricultural and food products from University of Bari, Italy. She has been involved in many research projects related to Plant Pathology and described ten novel fungal species by molecular approaches. Dr. Carlucci has been interesting to research and study new control means regarding the solarization practice, use of biostimulants, resistance inducers, fungal antagonists and biocides substances.