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Ken Donsky (Ph.D. Student) Ken is from Gainesville, Florida. He has a B.S. in Horticulture from the University of Florida where he gained experience in Plant Physiology, Plant Pathology, and Micropropagation. After graduating from UF, Ken gained experience working in Dr. Michael Kane’s Micropropagation lab where he studied virus eradication via meristem tip culture and the effects of Photoperiod and ABA on tuber formation in Caladiums. Then, he worked in Dr. Fredy Altpeter’s Plant Molecular Physiology lab at the University of Florida where he researched callus induction, transformation via biolistics and regeneration of Sugarcane and other biofuel crops. Prior to joining the Deluc lab, he worked as a Transformation and Tissue Culture Research Associate at Living Carbon working on biolistic and agrobacterium mediated transformation of Hybrid Poplar and Loblolly Pine. Ken joined the lab in July to help improve the generation of mutant collections in grapevine. The first objective of his project is to employ the Plant Gene Switch System induced by Methoxyfenozide [MOF]) to induce the plant morphogenic genes VitvirGRF-GIF4 for plant regeneration. On top of that, he will test the capacity of nanomaterials to facilitate delivery of sgRNA into microvine cells. Finally, as a proof of concept, he will generate a series of homozygous mutants targeting chlorophyll synthesis and trichome formation.
