Research

Research Summary

My current research focuses on developing and applying computational tools and methodologies to explore how plants, particularly cereals such as sorghum, rice and durum wheat, respond to environmental stressors such as drought and heat. Through large-scale comparative omics, including genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and epitranscriptomics, I aim to identify and understand the underlying molecular mechanisms that contribute to stress tolerance in these important crops.

Development of High-Throughput Computational Pipelines for Analyzing RNA-seq aata

The development of bioinformatics pipelines are at the center of my research. These pipelines, such as High-Throughput Analysis of Modified Ribonucleotides and Long Non-Coding RNAs HAMRLNC and Parallel Annotation of Modified Ribonucleotides and Long Intergenic Non-Coding RNAs (PAMLINC), enable scalable and distributed processing of large RNASeq datasets. A paper on HAMRLNC has been submitted to Bioinformatics, this is the first chapter of my PhD thesis.

Exploring RNA-Mediated Regulatory Mechanisms in Grasses

For the next chapter of my thesis, I’m exploring the roles of RNA-based regulatory mechanisms such as long non-coding RNAs and RNA modifications in plant’s response to drought. While protein and DNA-based regulatory mechanisms have been extensively studied in plants, the intricate details of RNA-based regulation in stress responses, particularly in crop plants, remain less understood and largely unexplored. The goal of this project is to identify and characterize drought-responsive long non-coding RNAs in poaceae targetted for epitranscriptomics modification, providing insights into how these modifications regulates plant lncRNA during drought stress.

Integrating GWAS and WGS to Facilitate the Genetic Dissection of Oxidative Stress-mediated Drought Responses in Rice

Abiotic stress, such as drought, poses significant challenges to agricultural productivity, particularly in staple crops like rice. Under drought conditions, plants experience oxidative stress due to the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can lead to cellular damage, affecting growth, development, and yield. To mitigate these detrimental effects, plants have evolved a sophisticated antioxidant defence system, comprising enzymatic and non-enzymatic components that work together to scavenge ROS and maintain cellular redox homeostasis. Given their importance in maintaining cellular integrity under stress, elucidating the genetic basis of antioxidant enzymes/markers regulation is essential for improving stress tolerance in crops. In this project, I’m applying GWAS and WGS to dissect the genetic basis of oxidative stress-mediated drought responses in indica rice diversity panel.

Future Directions

Looking forward, my research aims to continue building on the integration of computational biology and plant science to explore new frontiers in crop improvement. I am particularly interested in expanding my research on RNA modifications and non-coding RNAs to better understand their regulatory roles in plant adaptation. Through my efforts, I seek to contribute to global initiatives in sustainable agriculture, ensuring that the tools and knowledge I develop will help feed an increasingly hungry world in the face of growing environmental challenges.