Curriculum Vitae

Pramod Pantha

Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803

Email: ppanth1@lsu.edu/pramodpantha@gmail.com

Personal website: https://pramodpantha.wixsite.com/mysite

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Education

Current        Postdoctoral Researcher, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, US

2015-2021    Ph.D. (Biological Sciences), Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, US

                     Dissertation title: Understanding potassium toxicity stress responses of the   
                     extremophyte Schrenkiella parvula using systems biology approaches.

2013-2015    M.S. (Agricultural Regulations), the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, US

                      Thesis title: Down-regulation of lignin biosynthetic genes in big bluestem grass
                      (Andropogon gerardii vitman)- a promising biofuel feedstock.

2007-2011    B.S. (Plant Breeding & Genetics), Tribhuvan University, Nepal

 

Published articles

1. Tran K-N, Pantha P*, Wang G, Kumar N, Wijesinghege C, Hong H, Johnson JC, Kel R, Matherne MG, Clement A, et al (2023) Balancing growth amidst salinity stress – lifestyle perspectives from the extremophyte model Schrenkiella parvula (*equal contribution). The Plant Journal. Doi: 10.1111/tpj.16396

2. Pantha P, Oh D-H, Longstreth D, Dassanayake M (2022) Living with high potassium: how plants balance nutrient acquisition during K-induced salt stress. Plant Physiology. Doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiac564

3. Pantha P, Chalivendra S, Oh DH, Elderd BD, Dassanayake M (2021) A tale of two transcriptomic responses in agricultural pests via host defenses and viral replication. Int J Mol Sci 22: 1–27. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22073568

4. Issa P P, Garvey M, Grimmell S, Pantha P, Dassanayake M, Elderd BD (2021) Hitching a Ride: Examining the Ability of a Specialist Baculovirus to Translocate through Its Insect Host’s Food Plant. Pathogens, 10, 1500. Doi: 10.3390/pathogens10111500

5. Pantha P, Dassanayake M (2020). Living with Salt. The Innovation 1, 100050. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2020.100050

6. Wang G, Pantha P, Tran K, Oh D, Dassanayake M (2019) Plant Growth and Agrobacterium-mediated Floral-dip Transformation of the Extremophyte Schrenkiella parvula. JOVE 1–8 Doi: doi:10.3791/58544

7. Pantha P, Wang G, Tran K, Oh DH, Dassanayake M (2019) Growing plants on Mars: the development of sustainable crops for future human habitats, 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2019

8. Kazachkova Y, Eshel G, Pantha P, Cheeseman JM, Dassanayake M, Barak S (2018) Halophytism: What Have We Learnt From Arabidopsis Relative Model Systems? Plant Physiol 178: pp.00863.2018; Doi: doi/10.1104/pp.18.00863

9. Fan L, Wang G, Hu W, Pantha P, Tran K-N, Zhang H, An L, Dassanayake M, Qiu Q-S (2018) Transcriptomic view of survival during early seedling growth of the extremophyte Haloxylon ammodendron. Plant Physiol Biochem 132: 475–489; Doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2018.09.024

10. Pantha P, Sathish KP, Sixte N, Muthusamy M (2016) Improved embryogenic callus induction and plant regeneration in big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman), a potential bioenergy feedstock. A J Biotechnol 15: 2166–2171; Doi: 10.5897/AJB2016.15542

 

Manuscripts under review/revision/preperation

1. Pantha P, Oh D-h, Kowalski KP, Quach WN, Clay K and Dassanayake M (2023). Novel genome characteristics contribute to the invasiveness of Phragmites australis (common reed) in comparison with non-invasive native genotype (at final stage of submission to Nature Communication).

2. Pantha P, Oh DH, Winter G, Barak S, and Dassanayake M (2023). The genomic insights of slat tolerance of tropical invasive seagrass, Halophila stipulacea, compared to its freshwater relative, Vallisneria americana (intended to submit to Nature Ecology and Evolution).

3. Wijesinghege C, Wang G, Pantha P, Tran K.-N, and Dassanayake M (2022). Spatiotemporal gene expression atlas of the extremophyte Schrenkiella parvula. bioRxiv: 1–42 (Under review in The Plant Journal), also available in BioRxiv doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.10.24.513627.

4. Kirioukhova O, Pawar P, Govind G, Pantha P, Lemcke R, Larsen DS, Rhahul AM, Shah JN, Wijesinghege C, Zhou Y, Gruissem W, Turck F, Dassanayake M, Johnston AJ (2022) A higher-order transcription factor network governs egg cell differentiation and stress homeostasis in Arabidopsis. (Under review in Plant Physiology), also available in BioRxiv doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/772400.

5. Kim S-J, Sohn H-B, Oh D-H, Hwang Y-J, Yoon Y H, Lee Y-Y, Park S-G, Markkandan K, Lee D, Kwon H J, Pantha P, Dassanayake M, Koo B-C, Lee S, Kim Y-H (2022) A draft genome and comparative genome analyses reveal gene copy number variations as signatures of specialized metabolism and adaptation in tartary buckwheat. (Under revision in The Plant Journal).

 

Invited talks

1. Genomic insights into the invasiveness of Phragmites australis (common reed), Jan 12-17, 2024

2. Developing Functional Genomics Tools for Emerging Extremophyte Models, EDGE annual meeting at NSF headquarters October 2023

3. A tale of two transcriptomic responses in agricultural pests via host defenses and viral replication, ISBioTech, March 20-22, 2023

4. Genomic insights into the invasiveness of Phragmites australis (common reed) in comparison with non-invasive native genotype, Plant and Animal Genome Conference Jan 12-18, 2023

5. Growing Crops when Challenged by Climate Change, Saturday Science @ LSU at EBR Main Library, October 29, 2022. Talk shared with Dr. Maheshi Dassanayake

6. Genomic insights into invasiveness of Phragmites australis. The Consortium for Plant Invasion Genomics, Invasion Genomics, August 1-3, 2022

7. How plants respond to high potassium stress: insights from Arabidopsis and its extremophyte relative Schrenkiella parvula, American Society of Plant Biologist-Southern Section (ASPB-SS), April 16-18, 2021

8. Multi-omics uncovers the stress-initiated nitrogen reallocation in root as a mechanism of K toxicity tolerance in plants, Biograds symposium Louisiana State University, April 12-14, 2021

9. Understanding high potassium stress responses of the extremophyte model, Schrenkiella parvula using systems biology approaches, Plant and Animal Genome Conference Jan 10-16, 2020

10. Extreme Green at LSU Science Café, October 2019. Talk shared with Dr. Maheshi Dassanayake. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuXkQzqwO5I (I will appear in 22-23.34)

11. Plant potassium toxicity stress explored using systems biology approaches in the extremophyte Schrenkiella parvula and its close relative Arabidopsis, Biograds symposium Louisiana State University, April 10-11, 2019

12. A comparative transcriptomic view on high K+ stress tolerance between Schrenkiella parvula and Arabidopsis thaliana, American Society of Plant Biologist-Southern Section (ASPB-SS), March 24-26, 2018, won best oral presentation award

13. A comparative transcriptomic view on high K+ stress tolerance between Schrenkiella parvula and Arabidopsis thaliana, Nepalese Agricultural Professional in America (NAPA), June 26-27, 2018, won second prize for oral presentation

14. A comparative transcriptomic view on high K+ stress tolerance between Schrenkiella parvula and Arabidopsis thaliana, Biograds symposium Louisiana State University, March 20, 2018

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Conference abstracts

1. Pantha P, Oh DH, Bickford WA, Kowalski KP, Clay K, Dassanayake M (2024) Genomic insights into the invasiveness of Phragmites australis (common reed), Plant and Animal Genome Conference 2024 [invited talk & poster]

2. Garcia J, Pantha P, Adhikari P, Larkin J, Dassanayake M (2024) Impacts of Salt Stress during Different Stages of Reproductive Growth and Seed Production, Plant and Animal Genome Conference 2024 [invited talk & poster]

3. Garcia J, Pantha P, Dassanayake M (2023) Reproductive-tissue specific transcriptomics of the Extremophyte Schrenkiella parvula, American Society of Plant Biologist 2024 [poster]

4. Pantha P, Oh DH, Bickford WA, Kowalski KP, Clay K, Dassanayake M (2023) Genomic insights into the invasiveness of Phragmites australis (common reed) in comparison with non-invasive native genotype, Plant and Animal Genome Conference 2023 [invited talk]

5. Pantha P, Oh DH, Longstreth D, Dassanayake M (2021) How plants respond to high potassium stress: insights from Arabidopsis and its extremophyte relative Schrenkiella parvula, American Society of Plant Biologist-Southern Section (ASPB-SS) [invited talk]

6. Pantha P, Oh DH, Dassanayake M (2020) Understanding high potassium stress responses of the extremophyte model, Schrenkiella parvula using systems biology approaches, Plant and Animal Genome Conference 2020 [invited talk]

7. Pantha P, Oh DH, Longstreth D, Dassanayake M (2019) Plant potassium toxicity stress explored using systems biology approaches in the extremophyte Schrenkiella parvula and its close relative Arabidopsis, Keystone meeting 2019 [poster]

8. Pantha P, Wang G, Tran K, Oh DH, Dassanayake M (2019) Growing plants on Mars: the development of sustainable crops for future human habitats, 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2019 [poster]

9. Pantha P, Oh DH, Dassanayake M (2018) Plant potassium toxicity stress explored using systems biology approaches in the extremophyte Schrenkiella parvula and its close relative Arabidopsis, Plant and Animal Genome Conference 2019 [poster]

10. Pantha P, Oh DH, Dassanayake M (2018) Insights into plant responses and adaptations to k+ toxicity gained by comparing the extremophyte, Schrenkiella parvula, to Arabidopsis thaliana, American Society of Plant Biologist [poster]

11. Pantha P, Oh DH, Dassanayake M (2018) A comparative transcriptomic view on high K+ stress tolerance between Schrenkiella parvula and Arabidopsis thaliana, Nepalese Agricultural Professional in America (NAPA) [invited talk]

12. Wijesinghege C, Tran KN, Pantha P, Wang G, Oh DH, Dassanayake M (2018) Alternative splicing events detected in the extremophyte Schrenkiella parvula in response to NaCl stress. American Society of Plant Biologist-Southern Section [poster]

13. Pantha P, Ponniah SK, R Janet, Manoharan M (2017) Down-regulation of lignin biosynthetic genes in Big bluestem grass (Andropogon gerardii Vitman). Association of 1890 Research Directors, Inc. [First position poster presentation]

14. Pantha P, Wang G, Oh DH, Dassanayake M (2016) Alternative splicing detected via comparative transcriptomics of Arabidopsis thaliana and Schrenkiella parvula in response to NaCl stress. American Society of Plant Biology [poster]

15. Pantha P, Ponniah SK, Manoharan M (2014) Establishment of regeneraion system in big bluestem (Andropon gerardii) grass. In Vitro Cellular and Development Biology Springer 50(4):510 [poster]

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Grants, awards, and fellowships

1. Komma Memorial Award for Outstanding International Graduate Students, Louisiana State University, 2021; $750

2. Bruch Distinguished Graduate Student Scholarship, Louisiana State University, 202; $650

3. Early Career Participation (ECP) awards, North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC) to attend ICAR 2021

4. Daisy B. and William J. Luke Botany Teaching Assistant Award, Louisiana State University, 2020; $500

5. Mary Applewhite Superior Graduate Student Scholarship, Louisiana State University, 2019; $2,500 

6. Bio Grad Travel Award, Louisiana State University, 2019; $800

7. Fellowship to attend the G-OnRamp workshop at Washington University in St Louis, MO, US, June 2018; $1,000

8. Graduate Student Travel Award, Louisiana State University, 2018; $450

9. Bio Grad Travel Award, Louisiana State University, 2018; $400

10. Student Oral Presentation Second place, Nepalese Agricultural Professional in America (NAPA), May 26-27, 2018

11. Best Oral Presentation Award, American Society of Plant Biologist-Southern Section (ASPB-SS), March 24-26, 2018

12. ASPB Travel Grant; $575 to attend ASPB, 2018 July14-18 at Montreal, Canada

13. 2017-2018 Economic Development Assistantship awarded by the LSU Graduate School; $100,000

14. Graduate Student Travel Award from Louisiana State University, 2016; $200

15. Outstanding Graduate Scholar, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 2014

16. Agriculture Merit Scholarship for the study of Bachelor of science in Agriculture offered by Tribhuwan University, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS), Nepal (all tuition fees were paid); 2007-2011

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Professional services

• Member of American Society of Plant Biology

• Editor of journal Crop Design

• Review editor of journal Frontiers in Genetics- plant genomics section

• Served as a judge for LSU Discover Day 2022 for poster and oral presentation

• Served as a judge for LSU Discover Day 2021 for poster and oral presentation

• Reviewer for 18 different journals listed below:

       Nature Ecology and Evolution, Plant Physiology, Plant Journal, The Innovation, Molecular Plants, BMC Genomics, Plant Cell                   Report, Frontiers in Genetics, G3 (Genes, Genomes, Genetics), Plos One, Plants, Stress, Horticulturae, International Journal of               Molecular Sciences, Euphytica, Acoustics, Journal of Plant Breeding and Crop Science, Journal of Nepal Agricultural Research               Council, Journal of Maize Research and Development

• Conducted workshop on molecular techniques to amplify SfMNPV viral genes in maize sample to Dr. Bret Elderd lab, LSU, September 2020

• Served as a judge for senior and junior level University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Science Fair Exposition in February 2014 and 2015

 

Memberships and leadership activities

• Graduate mentor for Biology Intensive Orientation for Students (BIOS), LSU for 2017, 2018, and 2019

• Treasurer of BioGrads club, elected for one-year term in January 2019

• Treasurer of BioGrads club, elected for one-year term in January 2020

• Vice-president of Nepal Student Union America branch, 2018-2020

• Member of American Society of Plant Biology, since 2016

• Vice-president, Graduate Student Association, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 2014

• Member of International Student Association, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 2014

• Member of Society of In Vitro Biology, 2014

 

Teaching experience

• Guest lecture in the Plant Growth and Development graduate class on molecular mechanisms of salt stress tolerance and nutrient balance in plants under stressed conditions, Spring 2023 at Louisiana State University

• SCI 1001 Instructor for incoming science and mathematics majors fall 2022 at Louisiana State University

• BIOL 1209 Teaching Assistant for biology major student 2020 Spring at Louisiana State University

• BIOL 1208 Teaching Assistant for freshman biology student 2015 Fall and 2016 Spring semester at Louisiana State University

• Worked as a Trainer as Program Coordinator for Plant Junior Technical Assistant (PJTA) at Rumjatar Higher Secondary School, Okhaldhunga, Nepal affiliated to Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) since August 2012 to June 2013

• Worked as Secondary Level Teacher at Bal Jyoti English Secondary School, Sundarbazar, Lamjung, Nepal from April 2008 to April 2009

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Active national and international collaboration

Name of the collaborator/Institute,country

Dr. Dong-Ha Oh/Bioinformatics Data Wrangler @ Computercraft, USA

Dr. Simon Barak/Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

Dr. Gidon Winter/Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

Dr. Kurt P. Kowalski/US Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, MI, USA

Dr. Keith Clay/Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA

Dr. Song Li/Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, VA, USA

Dr. José R. Dinneny/Stanford University, CA, USA

Dr. Guannan Wang/Stanford University, CA, USA

Dr. John C Larkin/Louisiana State University, LA, USA

Dr. Bret Elderd/Louisiana State University, LA, USA

Dr. Leslie G. Butler/Louisiana State University, LA, USA

Dr. Bharat Babu Shrestha/Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Dr. Achyut Tiwari/Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Dr. Kesav Pande/Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal

 

Graduate student (Ph.D.) advising (Name of mentee/Project/Funding agency)

Chathura Wijesinghege/A transcriptome atlas enabling discovery of genes evolved as adaptations to environmental stress in a model extremophyte, Schrenkiella parvula/Joint Genome Institute

Samadhi Wimalagunasekara/Adaptive mechanisms in extremophytes for salt stress tolerance/NSF

Richard Garcia/Comparative Micro RNA regulation in two halophytes under salt stress/NSF

Thu T Nguyen/Functional effects of genome structural variations on stress adaptations in plants/NSF

Sara Armstrong/Exploring possibility of life in other planets (NASA Moon to Mars Objectives)/NSF

Amaya Wanniarachchi/Grating-Based Imaging-Scattering with Portable Neutron Generator/DOE

Isabel C Johnson/Adaptive mechanisms in extremophytes for salt stress tolerance/NSF and DOE

Jason R Garcia/Spatial dynamics of host-pathogen coevolution in a changing environment/USDA

 

Undergraduate academic advising

I have been training the undergraduates for growing and maintaining the plants in soil, plates, and hydroponic systems. I have been training them for making media, doing transformation in E. coil, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, A. thaliana, Schrenkiella parvula, and Oryza sativa. Further, I have been teaching them DNA and RNA extraction and their quality check and perform PCR to check the putative transgenic nature of the plants and gel electrophoresis. Following are the undergraduates I have been training.

Current

1. Jason R Garcia- 2020 Fall – now as full-time research assistant in the lab

2. Hannah Holiday- Spring 2023 - now

Past

1. Jason R Garcia- 2020 Fall – 2023 Spring (Biochemistry major)

2. August Steinkamp- 2019 Fall - 2023 Spring (Did honors college thesis under my direct supervision)

3. Ashley Doan- 2019 Fall – 2023 Spring

4. Saad Chaudhari- 2018 Fall - 2022 Spring (Biology major, currently at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine)

5. Todd J Thibodaux- 2018 Fall - 2022 Spring (Biochemistry major)

6. Megan Guilbeau- 2018 Fall - 2021 Spring (did honors college thesis under my direct supervision. Title of the project- The Effect of [Ca2+] on reducing the impacts of salt stress in plant growth using a stress sensitive model, Arabidopsis thaliana and a stress adapted model, Schrenkiella parvula. Currently at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana)

7. Peter P Issa - 2018 Fall - 2021 Spring (did honors college thesis under my direct supervision. Title of the project-Hitching a Ride: Examining the ability of a specialist Baculovirus to translocate through its insect host’s food plant. Currently at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine)

8. Delaney Campagna- 2016 - 2018 (Biology Major)

9. Melody Salmanian - 2015-2017 (Honors College, Chancellor's Aide, Microbiology Major, currently at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine)

10. Sravya Pochana - 2017 Fall (President's Student Aid, Biology Major)

11. Phelicia Neal - 2017 Fall (Biology Major)

12. John Johnson- 2014 Fall – 2017 Spring (Honors College, Chancellor's Aide, Biochemistry Major, currently at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine)

13. Blake Delacroix –2015 Fall- 2016 Fall (Honors College, Biochemistry Major, currently at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine)