معرفی
Georg Jander is an Adjunct Professor in the Section of Plant Biology at Cornell University's School of Integrative Plant Science, while serving as a lead scientist at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI). His research focuses on plant-insect interactions, chemical defense mechanisms, and genetic basis of herbivore resistance in economically important species like maize, Arabidopsis, and milkweeds.
- Affiliation: Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI)
- Key Research Areas: Plant defense metabolites, RNA interference for pest control, cardiac glycoside biosynthesis
Research Highlights: The Jander lab combines genetic mapping, mass spectrometry, and enzyme assays to discover novel plant defense compounds and their biosynthetic pathways. They investigate how insects suppress plant defenses and develop CRISPR-based agricultural innovations for pest control, including the DARPA-funded VIPER project using insects as plant enhancement vectors.
Scientific Impact: Recognized as an AAAS Fellow (2012), his work appears in top journals like Current Biology and Plant Cell. His team has received multiple grants including an NSF EDGE award for milkweed genomic tools and a $25M NSF CROPPS center for programmable plant systems.
- Lab Members: Kevin Ahern, Azam Noori, Alison Norton, and numerous interns
- Grants: NSF EDGE, DARPA Insect Allies, Schmittau-Novak Grants Program
Infrastructure: Equipped with advanced high-resolution mass spectrometers, his lab investigates plant metabolomics and insect counter-adaptations. Their research on cardiac glycoside pathways in wallflowers and milkweeds has potential applications in both agriculture and pharmaceutical development.
