Andrew Nelson

Andrew Nelson serves as Associate Professor and Chief Scientific Officer at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) with a formal academic appointment as Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant Biology within Cornell University's School of Integrative Plant Science. His research bridges molecular biology and computational genomics to address fundamental questions in plant stress adaptation.

Nelson's work focuses on RNA-mediated regulatory mechanisms in plant stress responses, particularly investigating long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and RNA chemical modifications (epitranscriptome). Key research areas include:

• Systematic identification of lncRNAs across 15 agriculturally significant plant species
• Development of computational tools for epitranscriptome analysis using public RNA-seq data
• Comparative studies of RNA modifications in Brassicaceae under heat/salt stress
• Integration of phenomics and genomics through the Mechanisms of Plant Resilience (MoPR) Cluster

His lab leverages NSF-funded projects (IOS PGRP 1758532, 2023310) to develop resources for the plant science community.

Analysis of Nelson's recent publications reveals strong emphasis on transcriptome dynamics during abiotic stress, with growing focus on field applications for crop resilience. His work increasingly integrates multi-omics approaches (epitranscriptomics, phenomics, comparative genomics) to translate basic discoveries into agricultural solutions, particularly for drought and salinity tolerance.

Nelson collaborates extensively with researchers at University of Pennsylvania (Brian Gregory), University of Arizona (Eric Lyons), and Centenary College of Louisiana (Rebecca Murphy) on epitranscriptome projects. His lab actively mentors graduate students and undergraduates through BTI's research programs.

The Nelson lab operates within BTI's state-of-the-art facilities in Ithaca, NY, utilizing advanced sequencing technologies including Nanopore direct RNA sequencing. Current projects emphasize comparative analyses across stress-tolerant species like Eutrema salsugineum to identify conserved regulatory mechanisms applicable to crop improvement.