Magdalena Julkowska

Magdalena Julkowska serves as an Assistant Professor at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI), where she leads the Julkowska Lab focused on plant environmental resilience. Her research examines how abiotic stresses like drought and salinity shape plant architecture across species including tepary bean, cowpea, and wild tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium), with emphasis on root system dynamics and genetic mechanisms.

Her primary research interests span plant architecture, abiotic stress tolerance, root system analysis, plant genetics and genomics, and phenotyping technology development. The lab employs forward genetics, GWAS, computational modeling (e.g., Pareto front optimality), and low-cost phenotyping systems (Raspberry Pi/Arduino) to dissect stress-response pathways. Current projects investigate salt-induced root architecture changes in wild tomatoes, drought resilience in cowpea diversity panels, and molecular mechanisms of root-to-shoot ratio alterations under stress.

Recent publications (2020-2023) reveal strong thematic focus on salt stress responses in Arabidopsis and crops, mathematical frameworks for root architecture analysis, stress-induced genomic changes, and accessible phenotyping innovations. Key methodologies include computational biology, high-throughput phenotyping, and transgenic validation.

Dr. Julkowska has secured significant funding including a USDA-NIFA Seed Grant for tepary bean genomics, Triad Foundation support for cowpea diversity studies, and Goelet Foundation backing for aeroponics-based phenotyping systems. Her lab maintains structured mentoring practices with weekly one-on-one meetings, monthly mentoring sessions, and professional development opportunities for all members.

The Julkowska Lab operates within BTI's Plant Phenotyping Facility and collaborates extensively with KAUST, USDA-ARS, Cornell Engineering, and international institutions. Current infrastructure includes Raspberry Pi PhenoCage setups, paperponics systems, and aeroponics rigs for non-destructive stress phenotyping, with active projects spanning genetic mapping, hormonal treatments, and CRISPR validation of stress-tolerance genes.