Andrew James Migneault

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In March 2019, I expatriated from the United States to repatriate in the world of Arabidopsis thaliana at The University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. The time came to alchemize my agronomy M.S. into a plant computational biology Ph.D., following a six-years-long adventure in sugarcane breeding with the USDA-ARS and the University of Florida. I will always love sugarcane, and some day we will be together again, but my scientific skill set needs complementation.

Dr. Alexandre Fournier-Level, my adviser, and I have previously worked together with our model mustard at my alma mater, Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. We reunite now, in what I have dubbed my ‘Victorian Era’ of education, to probe the depths of plant transgenerational plasticity. We already know that thale cress mothers can prepare their seedy offspring for the harsh conditions that they personally experience (perhaps under climate change) – what we do not know is how. More details about the project can be found here.

Stay tuned for what is sure to become an illuminating and exciting elucidation of plant reproductive evolution and adaptation. Meanwhile, you may contact me via email here. Bonus points are awarded to those who can recommend a good place nearby to get American-style coffee…