Principal Investigator
Mike Scanlon, Ph.D.
mjs298@cornell.edu
Mike received his Ph.D. in Genetics from Iowa State University, and did postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley. Mike started his laboratory in the Plant Biology Department at the University of Georgia in 1997, and moved his lab to Cornell in 2005. Besides his research in plant development, Mike also enjoys baseball, and music (folk, roots, blues and classic rock), reading (especially history and other fiction), movies he usually can’t understand, traveling, cooking, eating out, and dogs and cats.
Lab Manager/Technician
Lukas Evans
le95@cornell.edu
Lukas Evans graduated from Cazenovia College in Cazenovia, NY with a B.S. in Environmental Biology in 2018 and completed his M.S. in Plant Science and Biotechnology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY in 2021. His previous research involved tissue culture and agrobacterium-mediated transformation of willow for bioenergy and conservation purposes. He joined the Scanlon lab in the fall of 2021 and has since been enamored with the world of maize genetics. In the lab he supports projects concerning maize leaf development, most recently using various imaging and transcriptomic analysis techniques to investigate ligule and auricle development. Outside the lab, Lukas like to cook, read, collect antiques, and relax with his fiancée Alexandra and their many pets.
Postdocs
Hao Wu
hw388@cornell.edu
Hao completed his Ph.D. studies in Bryan Gibbon’s Lab at Baylor University in 2015, and has been working on maize developmental genetics and genomics for more than 10 years. His graduate research focused on the role of starch biosynthetic enzymes in the formation of vitreous endosperm in Quality Protein Maize. After earning his Ph.D., Hao joined Philip Becraft’s Lab at Iowa State University as a postdoctoral researcher, and spent 5 years studying gene regulatory networks in maize endosperm development, using bioinformatics tools integrated with genetic and molecular biology techniques. In 2021, he joined the Scanlon lab for a second postdoc studying maize embryo development. Hao utilizes single cell RNA-seq, spatial transcriptomic analysis, and in situ hybridization to investigate the relationship between maize embryonic lateral organs and key regulators of coleoptile development. Outside of the lab and field work, Hao likes culinary arts, graphic design, traveling and hiking.
Ruqiang Zhang
rz444@cornell.edu
Ruqiang received his Ph.D. in Agronomy at Nanjing Agricultural University in 2021. His research focused on the dynamic modeling of gene regulatory networks and signaling networks in plant science. Ruqiang worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the field of plant nutrients at China Agricultural University from 2021. In 2023, he joined the Scanlon lab as a postdoctoral researcher, focusing on the study of maize leaf development. Ruqiang utilizes single cell RNA-seq and mathematical modeling approaches to investigate the maize leaf morphology and development. Outside the lab, Ruqiang likes reading history, hiking, playing badminton, and listening to podcasts.
Graduate Student
Richie Ragas
rgr86@cornell.edu
Richie received his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of the Philippines, Mindanao and completed his MS in Horticulture and Agronomy as a Ford Fellow at the University of California, Davis in 2012. After earning his MS, he joined the Philippine Rice Research Institute studying floral biology of thermo-sensitive genic male sterility in rice. Prior to attending Cornell in the Fall of 2022, he taught undergraduate courses in plant physiology and developmental biology at the University of the Philippines, Cebu. Currently in the Scanlon lab, he is focusing on understanding how WOX3 genes function in maize. Outside the lab, Richie likes doing powerpoint animations, swimming and exploring new destinations during his travels.
Visiting Graduate Student
Arthur Kim Chan
akc77@cornell.edu
Arthur Chan graduated in Biological Sciences from São Paulo University, Brazil, studying primarily developmental biology. He has some previous background in animal development, having studied tunicates. His graduation research in botany was on the anatomy and development of the shoot of dayflower (Commelina erecta, Commelinaceae), focusing on the relationship between leaf and stem and the blade-sheath boundary. After graduation, Arthur kept studying this family during his Ph.D. in 2021, investigating how the margins of the leaf sheath are fused. He joined the Scanlon lab in 2023 to study the expression of KNOX and CUC genes in the leaves of C. erecta with in situ hybridization without sequenced genome, in order to understand how these genes affect the development of the sheath margins, which are marked by a line of hairs. Besides his passion in biology, he’s also interested in classical music, gaming, pets, philosophy, chocolates and exploring the vastness of the world.
Undergraduate Researcher
Lindsay Bauer
lnb52@cornell.edu
Lindsay Bauer is a current undergraduate student at Cornell University CALS as a Plant Science major. Within the Scanlon Lab, Lindsay is working to understand auricle development using confocal and other imaging. Prior to joining the Scanlon Lab, she interned in the Domozych Lab at Skidmore College in Saratoga, NY. While there, she conducted research surrounding arabinogalactan proteins in Penium margaritaceum. Outside of the lab, Lindsay enjoys skiing, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.