Rachel S. Meyer, PhD New York University Center for Genomics and Systems Biology 12 Waverly Place New York, NY 10003
[email protected] CV current as of January 2014
EDUCATION City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center and New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) Joint PhD Program, New York, New York Ph.D Biology, Summer 2012 M.Phil Biology, Fall 2008 Dissertation: Chemical, genetic, and ethnobotanical diversity in Asian eggplant Advisor: Dr. Amy Litt University of Washington, Seattle, Washington B.S. Plant Biology, Spring 2006 B.A. Interdisciplinary Visual Art, Spring 2006 Advisors: Dr. Richard Olmstead and Dr. Stevan Harrell
PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS New York University NSF Plant Genome Research Program Postdoctoral Fellow, 2012-2015. Advisor: Dr. Michael Purugganan. Project title: Evolution of salinity tolerance in African rice Marymount Manhattan College Instructor, 2012. Nutrition. The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) Lead instructor, Children’s Education, 2011-2012. Plant Physiology, Science & Ecology. Baruch College Campus High School Teacher, Environmental Science. 2010-2012. Environmental Science, The Evolution of Food. CUNY City College Instructor, College Now Program, 2009-2010. The Evolution of Food. Astor Collegiate Academy Co-teacher, 2008-2009. Environmental Chemistry, Earth Science. CUNY Lehman College Adjunct lecturer, 2006-2009. Introductory Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Plants and People. University of Washington Research intern, 2005-2006. Molecular phylogeny of Galium (Rubiaceae). Supervisors: Dr. Richard Olmstead and Dr. Valerie Soza.
PUBLICATIONS Meyer, R.S., B.D. Whitaker, D.P. Little, S.-B. Wu, E.J. Kennelly, C.-L. Long, and A. Litt. Changes in phenolic constituents resulting from the domestication of eggplant. Submitted to Phytochemistry.
Meyer, R.S., M. Bamshad, D.Q. Fuller, A. Litt. Comparing medicinal uses of eggplant and related Solanaceae in China, India, and the Philippines suggests independent development of uses, cultural diffusion, and recent species substitutions. Economic Botany. Accepted. ECBO-D-13-00077. Molina, J., K.M. Hazzouri, D. Nickrent, M. Geisler, R.S. Meyer, M.M. Pentony, J.M. Flowers, P. Pelser, J. Barcelona, S.A. Inovejas, I. Uy, W. Yuan, O. Wilkins, C.-I. Michel, S. Locklear, G.P. Concepcion, and M.D. Purugganan. Possible loss of the chloroplast genome in the parasitic flowering plant Rafflesia lagascae (Rafflesiaceae). Molecular Biology and Evolution. Accepted. MBE-13-1045. Meyer, R.S., M.P. Purugganan. Evolution of crop species: genetics of domestication and diversification. Nature Reviews Genetics. 14:840-852. Wu, S.-B, R.S. Meyer, B.D. Whitaker, A. Litt, E.J. Kennelly. 2013. A new Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-based strategy to integrate chemistry, morphology, and evolution of eggplant (Solanum) species. Journal of Chromatography A. doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2013.09.017. Meyer, R.S., Knapp, S., Karol, K.G., Little, D.P., Nee, M.H., A. Litt. 2013. Reply to J. Samuels: Taxonomic notes on several wild relatives of Solanum melongena L. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 69: 306-307. Wu, S.-B, R.S. Meyer, B.D. Whitaker, A. Litt, E.J. Kennelly. 2012. New glucosylated caffeoylquinic acid esters in the invasive soda apple, Solanum viarum L. Journal of Natural Products 75: 2246-2250. Meyer, R.S., A. DuVal, H.R. Jensen. 2012. Patterns and dynamic processes in crop domestication: a historical review and quantitative analysis of global food crops. New Phytologist Tansley Review 196: 29-48. Ahmed, S., C.M. Peters, C.L. Long, R.S. Meyer, U. Unachukwu, A. Litt, E. Kennelly, J. Richard. 2012. Conservation of floristic, phytochemical, and genetic diversity in indigenous tea agro-ecosystems of Yunnan, China. Conservation Letters DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2012.00269.x Meyer, R.S., K.G. Karol, D.P. Little, M.H. Nee A. Litt. 2012. Phylogeographic relationships among Asian eggplants and new perspectives on eggplant domestication. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 63: 685701. Quirin, E.A., H. Mann, R.S. Meyer, A. Traini, M.L Chiusano, A. Litt, J. Bradeen. 2012. Evolutionary metaanalysis of solanaceous R gene and Solanum RGA sequences and a practical framework for cross-species comparisons. Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions 25:603-12. Meyer, R.S. 2011. On “An open letter to federal policymakers from science students.” Plant Science Bulletin 57: 4.
PUBLICATIONS IN PREPARATION Meyer, R.S., E. McCarthy, M. Strahl, N. Pabon-Mora, A. Mohamed, C. Piccirillo-Stosser, N. Naghshineh, and A. Litt. Candidate gene function in the evolution of dry and fleshy fruit in Solanaceae. Invited manuscript to be submitted early 2014 to Frontiers in Plant Science. Meyer, R.S., D.P. Little, B.D. Whitaker, A. Litt. Domestication-related differences in genetic regulation of hydroxycinnamic acid (HCA) and phenolamides in eggplant. To be submitted early 2014 to New Phytologist.
SELECTED PUBLISHED ABSTRACTS Meyer, R.S., A. Barretto, J. Amas, J.M. Flowers, A. Plessis, G. Gregorio, M.D. Purugganan. Genome-wide patterning in African rice (Oryza glaberrima) landraces helps to explain adaptation to saline landscapes and the historic coevolution between plants and human agroecological practices Economic Botany: May 2014 in Cherokee, North Carolina. Meyer, R.S., A. Barretto, J. Amas, J.M. Flowers, A. Plessis, G. Gregorio, M.D. Purugganan. African rice (Oryza glaberrima) salinity tolerance and genetic variation across coastal West Africa. Plant and Animal Genome: January 2013 in San Diego, California.
Meyer, R.S., A. Barretto, J. Amas, J.M. Flowers, G. Gregorio, M.D. Purugganan. Evolution of salinity tolerance in African rice. International Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics, November 2013 in New Delhi, India. Meyer, R.S. Eggplant genetic and chemical diversity, investigated in the context of domestication. Plant and Animal Genome: January 2013 in San Diego, California. Meyer, R.S., B.D. Whitaker, D.P. Little, A. Litt. Molecular and chemical differences among Asian eggplants analyzed in a framework of their history of utilization. Society for Economic Botany 2012 Conference: June 2012 in Frostburg, Maryland. Meyer, R.S., D.P. Little, B.D. Whitaker, A. Litt. Modifications to the phenolic biosynthesis pathway correlated with domestication in eggplant. BOTANY 2011 Conference: July 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. Meyer, R.S., L. Loizides. One hundred researchable questions sprouting in NYC parks. BOTANY 2011 Conference: July 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. Meyer, R.S., A. DuVal, H.R. Jensen. Patterns and dynamic processes in crop domestication. Society for Economic Botany 2011 Conference: July 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. Pabon-Mora, N., R.S. Meyer, A. Litt. The role of a FRUITFULL ortholog in the development of berries (tomato) and capsules (flowering tobacco) in Solanaceae. BOTANY 2011 Conference: July 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri Meyer, R.S., B.D. Whitaker, D.P. Little, A. Litt. Diversity of phenolic content in Asian eggplant landraces and near wild relatives. SOL 2010 Conference: September 2010 in Dundee, Scotland Meyer, R.S., B.D. Whitaker, D.P. Little, A. Litt. Diversity of phenolic content in Asian eggplant landraces and near wild relatives. BOTANY 2010 Conference: August 2010 in Providence, Rhode Island Meyer, R.S., D.P. Little, A. Litt. The history of eggplant domestication: phylogeographic relationships among candidate progenitors and Asian heirloom varieties. Society for Economic Botany 2010 Conference: June 2010 in Xalapa, Mexico Meyer, R.S., D.P. Little, A. Litt. The history of eggplant domestication: phylogeographic relationships among candidate progenitors and Asian heirloom varieties. SOL 2009 Conference: November 2009 in New Delhi, India Meyer, R.S., A. Litt. Tomato and flowering tobacco fruit maturation is differently affected by ethylene, as seen through down-regulation of ETR4. (Poster) Botanical Society of America Conference: July 2008 in Vancouver, Canada Meyer, R.S., A. Litt. The role of ETR4, an ethylene receptor, in the ripening of flowering tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris Speg., Solanaceae) capsules (Poster) Plant Biology and Botany Congress: July 2007 in Chicago, Illinois
INVITED SEMINAR PRESENTATIONS Meyer, R.S. Crop diversity and genome variation: illuminating the evolutionary history of African rice. Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY. Ahmed, S., and Meyer, R.S. Tea Horse Road: An interactive flavor-sensory journey. January 2014, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles Country, Los Angeles, CA. Meyer, R.S. Food crop evolution: vignettes of the domestication process for grains and fruit. September 2013, Colloquium seminar, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY. Meyer, R.S. Touring the patterns of world food crop evolution. September 2013, Evening Evolution Group, New York University, New York, NY. Meyer, R.S. The evolution of food crops: signatures and directions of domestication and diversification. May 2013, The Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY.
Meyer, R.S. Eggplant genetic and chemical diversity, investigated in the context of domestication. January 2013, Plant and Animal Genome Annual Meeting, San Diego, California. Ahmed, S., and Meyer, R.S. Tea Horse Road: China’s ancient trade with Tibet. April 2012, Harvard University Arnold Arboretum, Boston, MA. Meyer, R.S. Artificial selection on Asian eggplants. Tri-Beta Society invited speaker: October 2011, Pace University, New York, NY. Meyer, R.S. Ethnobotany and history of eggplant in Asia. June 2010, Garden Club of America Annual Meeting: NY State Chapters, Lakeville, CT.
LEADERSHIP AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES RAISE-W Fellow, Hunter College. 2013-2015. Shoots and Roots Bitters, Inc. Co-creator and partner, 2012-present. Cool Mountain Education Fund. Board member. 2012-present. Investment Committee, Botanical Society of America. Committee member. 2011-2013. Plant Science Advisory Committee, CUNY. Elected student representative. 2011-2012. Botanical Society of America, Elected Director of Graduate Students. 2009-2011. Asian Vegetable Research Development Center, Taiwan. Trainer for germplasm annotation. Volunteer taxonomy training and re-identification of over 1000 Solanum seed collections. 2010. Yangjuan Primary School, Sichuan, China. Volunteer teacher. Course: Botanical illustration. Summers 2004, 2006. Rural China Education Foundation, Beijing, China. Participant in annual training. June 2006.
OTHER MEDIA NPR article ‘An Eggplant Of A Different Color Can Be Just As Sweet’, interviewed by Allison Aubrey. July 13, 2012. Science Cabaret on Air. Guest. “Standing up for science funding”, February 2011. NYBG Plant Talk Blog. Guest blog “Searching for a wild ancestor”, September 2009. NYBG Café Scientifique. Featured scientist, September 2009.
ORGANIZED SYMPOSIA AND WORKSHOPS DuVal, A., Meyer, R.S. “Exploring the genetics, evolution and ethnobotany of taste: an organoleptic approach to our relationship with plants.” Accepted workshop for the joint conference of the Society for Economic Botany and the Society for Ethnobiology, Cherokee, North Carolina: May 2014. Sponsorship received from the Open Science Network. Meyer, R.S., Flowers, J.M., DuVal, A. “Evolution of Food: how domestication shaped the plants we eat” American Museum of Natural History, 2013, New York, NY: 2 days, October 2013. Sponsorship received from the Museum. Meyer, R.S. “The fruitful outcome of graduate student-designed curricula: research modules, publishing opportunities, and outreach inspired by the NSF GK-12 Program.” BOTANY 2011, St. Louis, Missouri: July 2011. Sponsorship awards received from the Teaching Section and Education Committee of the Botanical Society of America.
MENTORING Claire-Iphanise Michel. DNA barcoding as a tool for taxonomic verification of herbal medicinal products sold in New York City: A research proposal. Serving on Claire’s thesis committee, Long Island University, 2013-2015. Maritz, J. Developing a salt injury test for African rice (Oryza glaberrima) aligned with West African cultural practices. Rotation graduate student, New York University, 2012-2013. Phillips, G. Domestication history of the eggplant. Mamaroneck High School, Cullman Intern Program at NYBG. 2008-2010. Selected as Intel finalist for this project, 2011. Volpano, B. Determination of optimal endogenous control genes from eggplant fruit for use in qRT-PCR. Mamaroneck High School, Cullman Intern Program at NYBG. 2010. Westchester Science and Engineering Fair winner for this project, 2011. Shevin, K. Determination of genes involved in phenolic biosynthesis in eggplant. Mamaroneck High School, Cullman Intern Program at NYBG. 2008. Westchester Science and Engineering Fair winner for this project, 2009. Smith-Vikos, T. Differential gene expression of candidate genes involved in dry versus fleshy fruit development in the Solanaceae. Cornell University, Genomics Intern. 2007-2008.
FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS 2012-Present National Science Foundation Plant Genome Research Program Postdoctoral Fellowship National Science Foundation/Hunter College RAISE-W fellowship: two years of executive coaching 2011-2012 Society for Economic Botany Fulling Award for Best Student Presentation CUNY College Now Fellowship MicroMORPH Workshop Selected Participant 2010-2011 NSF GK-12 Science Now Fellowship CUNY Science Fellowship 2009-2010 CUNY College Now Fellowship Anne S. Chatham Fellowship in Medicinal Botany Botany in Action Award CUNY Doctoral Student Research Grant CUNY Science Fellowship 2008-2009 NSF GK-12 Science Now Fellowship CUNY Science Fellowship 2007-2008 MORPH Workshop Selected Participant CUNY Science Fellowship 2006-2007 CUNY Science Fellowship
REVIEWER FOR JOURNALS Systematic Botany Molecular Ecology American Journal of Experimental Agriculture BMC Evolutionary Biology Botanical Review Ethnobotany Research Applications Journal of Experimental Botany Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution PLoS One Rice African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology
FIELDWORK Rice environmental response and salt tolerance 2013: 6 weeks, Philippines. Eggplant and wild relative diversity germplasm collection and ethnobotanical surveys 2010: 7 weeks, India. 2009: 7 weeks, China, Philippines. 2008: 7 weeks, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China. Nuosu priest plant uses 2006: 3 weeks, Yanyuan and Meiggu Counties, Sichuan Province, China. Water quality assessment and ethnobotanical survey in Nuosu communities of rural SW China 2003-2004: 1 year, Yanyuan County, Sichuan Province, China. Wolf population survey. 2004: 14 days, Liangshan, Sichuan Province, China.
