Lab Members

Matthew Brooks – Group Leader

I am a computational and molecular biologist with a broad range of interests, but focusing primarily on gene regulatory networks, nitrogen use efficiency, photosynthesis, and climate change. I came to Illinois in 2020 as a researcher with the USDA-ARS and adjunct in the Department of Plant Biology.

Kithmee De Silva – Ph.D. Student

I joined the lab in Spring 2022. My research involves untangling gene regulatory networks to decipher how plants sense and harmoniously integrate light, nitrogen, and carbon signals to orchestrate the mesmerizing dance of photosynthesis using the dicot model plant, Arabidopsis.

Yuchen Wang – Ph.D. Student

I joined the lab August, 2023. My research aims to uncover the critical transcription factors governing gene expression in response to nitrogen availability and CO₂ levels in various legume species. We utilize both molecular techniques and computer programs to decipher the regulatory networks connecting nitrogen metabolism and CO₂ sensing.

Shawn Abrahams – Postdoctoral Researcher
I joined the lab in Fall 2024. My research investigates macro-evolutionary species relationships and how complex plant traits evolve through the lens of gene networks and genome architecture. I am broadly interested in integrating molecular, regulatory, natural history, and evolutionary data into a unified framework for understanding trait evolution. My recent work leverages co-expression networks, gene-tree inferences, and micro-synteny analyses to understand the evolution of C4 photosynthesis in the order Brassicales and the role of gene duplication in opening (or constraining) evolutionary pathways.