CV

last updated Jan 2021

Education

• B.S., Plant Science, Specialization in Research, Rutgers University, May 2010
  • Advisors: Drs. Richard Merritt, Gojko Jelenkovic
  • Graduated summa cum laude
• Ph.D., Agronomy, Specialization in Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, August 2017
  • Dissertation: “Dissecting the genetic architecture of salinity responses in rice (Oryza sativa)”.
  • Advisor: Dr. Harkamal Walia
  • Committee: Drs. Paul Staswick, Chi Zhang, and Gautam Sarath

Research Experience

• October 2019 - Current: Postdoctoral Researcher
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, Cornell University
  • Supervisors: Jean-Luc Jannink and Michael A. Gore
  • Multiomic integration to study and improve heathful compounds in oat seeds.
• January 2019 - October 2019: Postdoctoral Researcher
  • Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech
  • Supervisor: Gota Morota
  • Continued to develop novel approaches for genomic prediction and GWAS of longitudinal traits, as well as integrating process-driven ecophysiological models with whole genome regression approaches.
• September 2017 - January 2019: Postdoctoral Researcher
  • Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
  • Supervisor: Gota Morota
  • My research focused on developing methods for genomic prediction and GWAS of longitudinal traits derived from high-throughput phenotyping platforms.
• March 2013 - August 2017: Graduate Research Assistant (Ph.D.)
  • Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
  • Supervisor: Harkamal Walia
  • The primary goal of my research was to examine the genetic basis of salinity tolerance in rice using a multidimensional approach that combined phenomics, transcriptomics, molecular biology, and genetics.
• September 2011 - March 2013: Graduate Research Assistant (M.S.)
  • Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
  • Supervisor: Harkamal Walia
  • My research was focused on elucidating the physiological and genetic basis of adaptation to drought and submergence in wheat and maize, respectively.
• September 2009 - August 2011: Undergraduate Research Assistant
  • Department of Plant Science, Rutgers University
  • Under the supervision of Dr. Richard Merritt, I assisted in the development of a bioreactor system for micropropagation of Lilium spp.. This system was intended to have applications in the horticulture and nutraceutical industries. Moreover, I worked with Dr. Gojko Jelenkovic in the evaluation and propagation of strawberry varieties.
• June 2010 - July 2010: Summer Intern
  • USDA-ARS Tropical Agriculture Research Station, Mayaguez, PR
  • During the six-week internship I assisted with daily tasks in the entomology, dry bean genetics, and tropical fruit production groups.

Publications

Introgression of novel traits from a wild wheat relative improves drought adaptation in wheat

Placido, D.F., M.T. Campbell, J.J. Folsom, X. Cui, G.R. Kruger, P.S. Baenziger, and H. Walia. (2013). Introgression of novel traits from a wild wheat relative improves drought adaptation in wheat. Plant Physiol. 161(4): 1806-1819.

Genetic and Molecular Characterization of Submergence Response Identifies Subtol6 as a Major Submergence Tolerance Locus in Maize

Campbell, M.T., C.A. Proctor, Y. Dou, A.J. Schmitz, P. Phansak, G.R. Kruger, C. Zhang, and H. Walia. (2015). Genetic and molecular characterization of submergence response identifies Subtol6 as a major submergence tolerance locus in maize. PLoS One 10(3): e0120385.

Integrating image based phenomics and association analysis to dissect the genetic architecture of temporal salinity responses in rice

Campbell, M.T., A.C. Knecht, B. Berger, C.J. Brien, D. Wang, and H. Walia. (2015). Integrating image based phenomics and association analysis to dissect the genetic architecture of temporal salinity responses in rice. Plant Physiol. 168(August): pp.00450.2015.

Image Harvest: an open source platform for high throughput plant image processing and analysis

Knecht, A.C., M.T. Campbell, A. Caprez, D.R. Swanson, and H. Walia. (2016). Image Harvest: an open source platform for high throughput plant image processing and analysis. J. Exp. Bot. 67(11): 3587–3599

Allelic variants of OsHKT1;1 underlie the divergence between indica and japonica subspecies of rice (Oryza sativa) for root sodium content

Campbell, M.T., N. Bandillo, F.R.A. Al Shiblawi, S. Sharma, K. Liu, Q. Du, A.J. Schmitz, C. Zhang, A.A. Very, A.J. Lorenz, and H. Walia. 2017. Allelic variants of OsHKT1;1 underlie the divergence between indica and japonica subspecies of rice (Oryza sativa) for root sodium content. PLoS Genet. 13(6).

A Comprehensive Image based Phenomic Analysis Reveals the Complex Genetic Architecture of Shoot Growth Dynamics in Rice (Oryza sativa)

Campbell, M.T., Q. Du, K. Liu, C.J. Brien, B. Berger, C. Zhang, and H. Walia. 2017. A Comprehensive Image based Phenomic Analysis Reveals the Complex Genetic Architecture of Shoot Growth Dynamics in Rice (Oryza sativa). Plant Genome 10(2): 0

Utilizing random regression models for genomic prediction of a longitudinal trait derived from high-throughput phenotyping

Campbell, M.T., H. Walia, and G. Morota. 2018. Utilizing random regression models for genomic prediction of a longitudinal trait derived from high-throughput phenotyping. Plant Direct 2(9): e00080.

Using LASSO in gene co-expression network for genome-wide identification of gene interactions responding to salt stress in rice

Du, Q., M.T. Campbell, H. Yu, K. Liu, H. Walia, Q. Zhang, C. Zhang. (2018) Using LASSO in gene co-expression network for genome-wide identification of gene interactions responding to salt stress in rice. Plant Direct.

ShinyAIM: Shiny-based Application of Interactive Manhattan Plots for Longitudinal Genome-Wide Association Studies

Hussain W., Campbell M., Walia H., Morota G. (2018) ShinyAIM: Shiny-based Application of Interactive Manhattan Plots for Longitudinal Genome-Wide Association Studies. Plant Direct 2(10), p.e00091.

The genetic basis of cis-regulatory divergence between the subspecies of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa)

Campbell, M. T., Du, Q., Liu, K., Sharma, S., Zhang, C., & Walia, H. (2019). The genetic basis of cis-regulatory divergence between the subspecies of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa). bioRxiv, 511550.

Leveraging breeding values obtained from random regression models for genetic inference of longitudinal traits

Campbell M.T., Momen M., Walia H., Morota G. (2019) Leveraging breeding values obtained from random regression models for genetic inference of longitudinal traits. The Plant Genome.

Genomic Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis and Bayesian network to characterize a wide spectrum of rice phenotypes

Yu, H., M.T. Campbell, Q. Zhang, H. Walia, G. Morota. (2018) Genomic Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis and Bayesian network to characterize a wide spectrum of rice phenotypes. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics. g3--400154.

Predicting longitudinal traits derived from high-throughput phenomics in contrasting environments using genomic Legendre polynomials and B-splines

Momen M., Campbell M.T., Walia H., Morota G. (2019) Predicting longitudinal traits derived from high-throughput phenomics in contrasting environments using genomic Legendre polynomials and B-splines. bioXriv.

Variance heterogeneity genome-wide mapping for cadmium in bread wheat reveals novel genomic loci and epistatic interactions

Hussain W., Campbell M.T., Jarquin D., Walia H., Morota G. (2020) Variance heterogeneity genome-wide mapping for cadmium in bread wheat reveals novel genomic loci and epistatic interactions. The Plant Genome. doi:10.1002/tpg2.20011

Characterization of the transcriptional divergence between the subspecies of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa)

Campbell MT, Du Q, Liu K, Sharma S, Zhang C, Walia H. 2020. Characterization of the transcriptional divergence between the subspecies of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa). BMC Genomics. 21(1):1-6.

Leveraging genome-enabled growth models to study shoot growth responses to water deficit in rice

Campbell M.T., Grondin A., Walia H., Morota G. (2020) Leveraging genome-enabled growth models to study shoot growth responses to water deficit in rice. J. Exp. Bot 71(18):5669–5679.

Talks

Natural variation in a rice sodium transporter, OsHKT1.1, provides insight into origins of salinity tolerance in rice

April 06, 2016

Department Seminar at University of Nebraska Animal Breeding and Genetics Seminars, Lincoln, Nebraska

Allelic variants of OsHKT1;1 underlie the divergence between Indica and Japonica subspecies of rice for root sodium content

October 01, 2016

Conference Talk at Plant Science Retreat 2016, Nebraska City, Nebraska

Allelic variants of OsHKT1;1 underlie the divergence between Indica and Japonica subspecies of rice for root sodium content

March 14, 2017

Invited Conference Talk at Nebraska Plant Breeding Symposium 2017, Lincoln, Nebraska

Genetic and Computational Approaches for Studying Plant Development and Abiotic Stress Responses Using Image-Based Phenotyping

December 14, 2017

Invited Conference Talk at 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana

Utility of longitudinal traits derived from high-throughput phenotyping platforms for genomic prediction and GWAS

April 19, 2018

Department Workshop at Trait Prediction in Agriculture, Department of Statistics, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska

Utilizing Longitudinal Phenotypes Derived from High Throughput Phenotyping to Study and Improve Adaptation to Water Limitation in Rice

June 07, 2018

Invited Conference Talk at Gordon Research Conference - Salt and Water Stress in Plants (2018), Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

Introducing the time axis in genomic prediction and association studies. Faculty of Agriculture

February 27, 2019

Invited Seminar at Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment - Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel

Posters

• Utilizing Longitudinal Phenotypes Derived from High Throughput Phenotyping to Study and Improve Adaptation to Water Limitation in Rice. Gordon Research Conference - Salt and Water Stress in Plants. June 2018. Waterville Valley, NH.
• Utilizing Longitudinal Phenotypes to Study and Improve Adaptation to Water Limitation in Rice. Plant and Animal Genome Conference - 2018. January 2018. San Diego, CA.
• Allelic variants of OsHKT1;1 underlie the divergence between Indica and Japonica subspecies of rice (Oryza sativa) for root sodium content. Plant Science Retreat 2016. October 2016. UNL Center for Plant Science Innovation. Nebraska City, NE.
• Examining the genetic architecture of salinity-induced growth responses in rice (Oryza sativa). Plant Breeding Symposium. October 2015. UNL Center For Plant Science Innovation. Lincoln, NE.
• Assessing Flooding Tolerance in a Maize Nested Association Mapping (NAM) Population. Plant Science Retreat 2012. October 2012. UNL Center for Plant Science Innovation. Nebraska City, NE.

Awards

• 2017: Student Oral Presentation Award, Nebraska Plant Breeding Symposium, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture
• 2016: Best Oral Presentation, UNL Plant Science Retreat, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Plant Science Initiative
• 2012: Hardin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture
• 2010: Plant Science Excellence Award: Rutgers, Cook College, Department of Plant Science

Skills

• Quantitative Skills
  • Transcriptome Analysis
    • Microarray
    • RNA-sequencing
    • Co-expression network analysis
  • Quantitative Genetics
    • QTL Mapping
    • Genome-wide Association Mapping
    • eQTL Mapping
    • Genomic Prediction
  • Statistics
    • SAS
    • R
    • asREML
• Wet Lab Skills
  • PCR, real-time PCR, electrophoresis
  • Molecular cloning
  • Agrobacterium-mediated transformation: rice and Arabidopsis
  • Histology: parafin embedding and sectioning
• Computational Skills
• Operating Systems: LINUX, OS X, Windows
• LATEX

Teaching Experience

• Sept 2-25 2020: Co-instructor
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Cornell University - Ithaca, NY
  • Advanced Statistics and Experimental Design
• June 24-26 2019: Co-instructor
  • School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - Blacksburg, VA
  • GWAS workshop
• November 11-15 2018: Co-instructor
  • Department of Agriculture and Life Sciences
  • University of Tokyo - Tokyo, JP
  • Workshop: Statistical Methods for Omics-assisted Breeding
• January 2018 - March 2018: Guest Lecturer
  • Agronomy and Horticulture Department
  • University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
  • Course: Introductory Plant Physiology (AGRO 325)
• January 2018 - February 2018: Guest Lecturer
  • Statistics Department
  • University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
  • Course: Integrative Data Science for Plant Phenomics (STAT 892)
• July 2016, 2017: Co-instructor
  • Arkansas Biosciences Institute
  • Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR
  • Workshop: High-throughput rice phenotyping
• September 2010 - December 2010: Teaching Assistant
  • Plant Science Department
  • Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
  • Course: Introduction to Horticulture (11:776:211)
• September 2010 - December 2010: Private Tutor
  • Plant Science Department
  • Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
  • Courses: Introduction to Horticulture (11:776:211), General Plant Pathology (11:770:301), Plant Science (11:776:242), Plant Genetics (11:776:305))

Professional Development

• Teaching Philosophies/Portfolios. University of Nebraska - Lincoln. September 4, 2018. Lincoln, NE. Online workshop.
• Faculty Advising: What You Need to Know and How to Do It Well. Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning. August 8, 2018. University of Wisconsin - Madison. Online workshop.
• Advanced Quantitative Genetics. 23rd Summer Institute in Statistical Genetics. July 23-25, 2018. University of Washington, Department of Biostatistics. Seattle, WA. Short course.
• Bayesian Statistics for Genetics. 23rd Summer Institute in Statistical Genetics. July 25-27, 2018. University of Washington, Department of Biostatistics. Seattle, WA. Short course.