Bryan Thines

Bryan Thines is a Professor and Associate Chair of Biology at the University of Puget Sound. His research focuses on understanding plant stress response mechanisms, particularly through the ubiquitin 26S-proteasome system (UPS), which selectively removes target proteins to regulate cell physiology.

Dr. Thines' research interests include:

• Plant stress and survival in adverse conditions
• Molecular mechanisms of plant response to environmental stressors like temperature extremes and drought
• Hormone signaling pathways in plants
• Functional genomics and molecular genetic approaches to study stress response
• Circadian network interactions in plant defense mechanisms

His recent work has examined F-BOX STRESS INDUCED proteins, metabolic daylength measurement systems, and circadian interactions in jasmonic acid signaling. This research has important implications for understanding how plants will adapt to changing climate conditions, with direct relevance to agricultural productivity and global food security.

Dr. Thines has published in prestigious journals including Nature, Plant Signaling and Behavior, Methods in Molecular Biology, and Current Opinion in Plant Biology. His research demonstrates consistent focus on plant molecular biology with particular attention to stress response pathways and their regulation.

As an educator, he teaches Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Introductory Biology courses. His lab actively involves undergraduate students in research, as evidenced by multiple publications with undergraduate co-authors from the University of Puget Sound, indicated by asterisks in author lists. His laboratory maintains an active research program with ongoing projects related to plant stress response mechanisms.