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Jason Gardiner is an Assistant Professor at Utrecht University specializing in Translational Plant Biology. His research focuses on the mechanisms by which multicellular organisms develop from individual cells and how these cells differentiate into unique cell types despite having identical genomes. His lab investigates how plant cells choose which genetic information to utilize in response to environmental and developmental signals. Gardiner's work aims to uncover the fundamental rules of transcriptional regulation that can enhance breeding programs for agriculturally relevant plants. He explores how DNA methylation and transcriptional memory interact within the genome and how these epigenetic marks affect gene expression in response to developmental and environmental stimuli. His research utilizes synthetic biology approaches to expand the understanding of DNA methylation in signaling pathways and aims to create methylation-sensitive promoter modules that help in designing new synthetic systems. Gardiner’s innovative work integrates epigenetic memory into synthetic biology, providing crucial insights for crop development and enhancing the stability of information in synthetic systems. This multifaceted approach includes the development of targeted epimutagenesis tools to optimize and control gene expression across multiple pathways in plants.
Department of Psychology