DFG Postdoctoral Fellow

Robin earned his Ph.D. in Dr. Uwe Sonnewalds' lab at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. He studied the physiology of the pathogenic interaction between the smut fungus Ustilago maydis. In the Torii lab, Robin is taking a large-scale biology approach to understand regulatory networks driving stomatal differentiation.

Julian earned his PhD in Biochemistry at Texas A&M University studying postranslational modifications in the AMP-dependent protein kinases in Tomato. In the Torii lab Julian's research focuses on elucidationg the early phosphorylation signaling events controlling stomatal development, more specifically during the perception of signaling peptides by ERECTA-family receptor kinases. On his free time Julian enjoys sketching, exploring Seattle's dining, and taking his dog Chia to the park.

Christine earned her Ph.D. in Gregg Howe's lab at Michigan State University studying the structure and function of atypical JAZ transcriptional repressors in plant herbivory defense signaling. She is interested in transcriptional regulation and how environmental factors affect stomatal development.

Jacqueline (Jackie) is a Research Scientist in the Torii lab; she graduated from the University of Arizona in 2010 with a B.S. in Veterinary Science. She worked in a Molecular and Cellular Biology lab during her undergraduate career and in an Immunobiology lab after graduation. In the Torii lab, she characterizes a family of POLAR, a novel protein associated with cellular asymmetry within the stomatal lineages. She loves animals and especially enjoys spending time with her cat, Piglet.

Lisa (Ya-Chen) Lin is an undergraduate lab assistant and attends the University of Washington, as a junior majoring in Biochemistry. In her spare time she likes to sing.