Christian Danve M. Castroverde
Areas of Expertise
- Biology (Cellular, Molecular and Genetics)
- Genetics and Genomics
- Plant Science and Botany
Biography
I obtained my BSc (summa cum laude) at the University of the Philippines Diliman, working as an undergraduate thesis student for Dr. Cynthia Hedreyda. I completed my MSc and PhD degrees at the University of Guelph, under the supervision of Dr. Jane Robb and Dr. Ross Nazar. Before joining Laurier, I was an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory and Plant Resilience Institute (Michigan State University) in the laboratory of Dr. Sheng Yang He (Howard Hughes Medical Institute). There, I characterized regulatory mechanisms of plant immune signaling and microbial pathogenesis.
My laboratory is currently investigating how environmental factors (like elevated temperature) influence plant immune responses at the molecular level. The aim of my research program is to create an integrative model of the mechanisms underlying plant-pathogen interactions in a changing environment, in order to better understand and improve plant resilience.