Yana Kazachkova

I am fascinated by plants, their abundance, complexity, and intricate beauty. All plants, big and small, provide us with air, food, and fuel. I joined the Jonikas lab in the spring of 2022 to work towards the ultimate goal of improving plant photosynthesis by engineering an algal carbon concentrating mechanism into plant cells. In my everyday work, I combine my passion for plants, and interest in molecular biology with confocal microscopy and tissue culture.  

Before joining, I was doing a postdoc at the Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel) on the logistics of plant-specialized metabolism. I discovered and characterized a novel transporter protein that is responsible for the removal of toxic and bitter compounds in tomatoes during fruit ripening.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, being outdoors, doing yoga, and baking with my pet sourdough starter.