Our Team
We have over 80 members dedicated to the C-SPIRIT mission, each working to support the collaboration in a different way. Our team consists of faculty, research associates, graduate students, postdocs, and other important positions that work towards our six aims. We have a leadership team to guide our efforts, as well as boards and committees to ensure we are working toward our goals in a practical, ethical, and safe way.
Leadership Team
Our leadership team consists of our center director, core area leads, partner country leads, and our external evaluator.
Center Director
Seung Yon (Sue) Rhee
Director of the Plant Resilience Institute and MSU Foundation Professor
Michigan State University
Core Area Leads
Aim 1: Metabolite Discovery
Aleksandra (Ola) Skirycz
Associate Professor within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology,
Michigan State University
Aim 2: Metabolite Annotation & Database Development
Gaurav Moghe
Assistant Professor within the School of Integrative Plant Science
Cornell University
Aim 3: Gene & Pathway Discovery
Olivia Wilkins
Associate Professor within the Department of Biological Sciences
University of Manitoba
Aim 4: Biological Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds
Nicola Patron
Associate Professor within the Department of Plant Sciences
University of Cambridge
Aim 5: Lab & Field Testing
Addie Thompson
Assistant Professor within Department of Plant, Soil & Microbial Sciences
Michigan State University
Aim 6: Environmental & Animal Toxicity Assessment
Kari Sant
Associate Professor within the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Michigan State University
Broader Impacts
Molly Sears
Assistant Professor within the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics,
Michigan State University
Partner Country Leads
Canada
Olivia Wilkins
Associate Professor within the Department of Biological Sciences
University of Manitoba
Nicholas Provart
Professor and Chair within the Department of Cell & Systems Biology
University of Toronto
Japan
Motoaki Seki
Team Leader of the Plant Genomic Network Research Team
RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Republic of Korea
Tae-Jin Oh
Professor within the Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Biotechnology
Sun Moon University
Sang-Ho Kang
Senior Researcher within the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences
Rural Development Administration
United Kingdom
Nicola Patron
Associate Professor within the Department of Plant Sciences
University of Cambridge
External Evaluators
Brad Watts
Assistant Director of The Evaluation Center
Western Michigan University
Lee McClure
Project Manager within The Evaluation Center
Western Michigan University
Administrative Teams
Each country has an administrative team that works to keep things running smoothly and support the research being done.
United States Administrative Team
Maricar Macalincag
C-SPIRIT Project Manager
Michigan State University
Ashley Stender (Atkinson)
C-SPIRIT Promotion & Outreach Coordinator
Michigan State University
Japan Administrative Team
Shiori Ota
Research Administrative Support Staff
RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Yukiko Hayakawa
Kinoshita Lab Coordinator
Nagoya University
Canada Administrative Team
Chi Dang
Research Technician within the Wilkins Lab
University of Manitoba
Dharti Sevak
Research Technician within the Wilkins Lab
University of Manitoba
Korea Administrative Team
So-Ra Han
Postdoctoral Researcher
Sun Moon University
United Kingdom Administrative Team
Caroline Calvert
BioYorkshire Program Manager
University of York
Boards & Committees
The Scientific Advisory Board consists of faculty and industry experts who provide guidance on C-SPIRIT’s research strategy, workforce development, and technological advances.
Scientific Advisory Board
Chair
Hilde Nelissen
Professor & Group Leader for Plant Growth Dynamics
Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, Ghent University
Members
Georg Jander
Adjunct Professor within the School of Integrative Plant Science
Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute
Alisdair R. Fernie
Research Group Leader of Central Metabolism
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology
Hilde Nelissen
Professor & Group Leader for Plant Growth Dynamics
Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, Ghent University
Felicia Wu
John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Food Safety, Toxicology, & Risk Assessment
Michigan State University
Claudia Vickers
Professor of Synthetic Biology, Faculty of Science
Queensland University of Technology
Keiko Torii
Professor within the Department of Molecular Biosciences & Investigator
University of Texas at Austin, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Michael Siegrist
Full Professor at the Department of Health Sciences & Technology
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
The Stakeholder Board brings together a diverse network of farmers, industry leaders, extension agents, scientists, and commodity groups to identify key vulnerabilities impacting the acceptability of bioactive compounds in agriculture. Through collaborative meetings, vulnerability mapping, and ongoing working groups, the board develops a roadmap to address knowledge gaps, build trust, and support the sustainable adoption of bioactive technologies.
Stakeholder Board
Todd DeKryger
Regional Manager of Sustainable Agricultural Development
Nestlé Gerber
Corey Guza
Director of Research and Agronomy
Michigan Sugar Company
Cassie Hilder
Vice President of Strategy & Business Development
Bioceres Crop Solutions
Emily O’Halloran
Responsible Sourcing Lead
Kellanova
Kristin Poley
Director of Research and Agronomy
Corn Marketing Program of Michigan
Karly Regan
Field Development Manager
Certis Biologicals
Hanny Rivera
Associate Director of Business Development
Ginkgo Bioworks
Mark Seamon
Research Director
Michigan Soybean Committee
Steve Whittington
Field Crops Extension Educator
MSU Extension Montcalm County Extension Office
Brook Wilke
Associate Director for Science and Agronomy
KBS Long-Term Agroecosystem Research
Simon Williams
Principal Scientist of Research Chemistry
Syngenta Crop Protection
The Data Management Committee oversees the organization, standardization, and secure sharing of research data across the project. It ensures data integrity, promotes transparency, and facilitates collaboration by developing protocols for data collection, storage, access, and long-term stewardship.
Data Management Committee
Co-Chairs
Nicholas Provart
Professor and Chair within the Department of Cell & Systems Biology
University of Toronto
Gaurav Moghe
Assistant Professor within the School of Integrative Plant Science
Cornell University
Members
Benjamin Lichman
Senior Research Fellow within the Department of Biology
University of York
Miyako Kusano
Professor within the Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences
University of Tsukuba & RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Maricar Macalincag
C-SPIRIT Program Manager
Michigan State University
Jun Hyuck Lee
Principal Researcher
Korea Polar Research Institute
Research Team
Each member of our research team supports one or more of our six aims.
Mark Berjanskii
Research Associate within the Metabolomics Innovation Centre at the University of Alberta
Robert Britton
Professor within the Department of Chemistry at Simon Fraser University
Ataharul Chowdhury
Associate Professor within the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph
Jaimie Edel
Undergraduate Researcher within the Wilkins Lab at the University of Manitoba
Lukas Lam
Undergraduate Researcher within the Wilkins Lab at the University of Manitoba
Vincent Lau
Research Associate within the Provart Lab at the University of Toronto
Scott MacKay
Research Associate within the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta
Asher Pasha
Research Associate within the Provart Lab at the University of Toronto
Sean Robertson
PhD Student within the Wilkins Lab at the University of Manitoba
Dharti Sevak
Research Technician within the Wilkins Lab at the University of Manitoba
David Wishart
Distinguished University Professor within the Departments of Biological Sciences and Computing Science at the University of Alberta
Robyn Woudstra
Research Associate within the Wishart Lab at the University of Alberta
Shunsuke Adegawa
Master’s Student within the Seki Lab at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Farhan Aziz
PhD Student within the Seki Lab at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Hiroshi Ezura
Professor within the Tsukuba Plant Innovation Research Center and Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Tsukuba
Kohei Fukatsu
Postdoctoral Researcher within the Kinoshita Lab at Nagoya University
Shinya Hagihara
Team Director of the Molecular Bioregulation Research Team at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Yasunori Ichihashi
Team Director of the Holobiont and Resilience Research Team at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Aki Kawamura
Undergraduate Student within the Seki Lab at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Toshinori Kinoshita
Professor within the Department of Plant Physiology at Nagoya University
Miyako Kusano
Professor within the Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Tsukuba & RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Shogo Kuwayama
PhD Student within the Kinoshita Lab at Nagoya University
Yingtao Li
PhD Student at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science and University of Tsukuba
Suzuka Matsuki
Master’s Student within the Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science and University of Tsukuba
Kenji Miura
Professor of Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Tsukuba
Haruto Niwa
Master’s Student within the Ezura Lab at the University of Tsukuba
Yutaka Ogawa
Research Scientist within the Seki Lab at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Hiroyuki Osada
Group Director of the Chemical Biology Research Group at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Huong Pham
PhD Student within the Seki Lab at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Taku Sakakibara
PhD Student within the Kinoshita Lab at Nagoya University
Kwangchul Shin
Graduate Researcher within the Kinoshita Lab at Nagoya University
Toon Suzuki
Undergraduate Student within the Ezura Lab at the University of Tsukuba
Tomoyuki Takeda
Postdoctoral Researcher within the Seki Lab at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Daisuke Todaka
Research Scientist within the Plant Genomic Network Research Team at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Minoru Ueda
Research Scientist within the Plant Genomic Network Research Team at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Miyo Yamane
Postdoctoral Researcher within the Seki Lab at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Alebel Mekuriaw Abebe
Postdoctoral Researcher at The National Institute of Agricultural Science, Republic of Korea
Yoram Choi
Postdoctoral Researcher at The National Institute of Agricultural Science, Republic of Korea
Hackwon Do
Senior Researcher at the Korea Polar Research Institute
Jisub Hwang
PhD Student at the Korea Polar Research Institute
Jayram Karmacharya
PhD Student studying Biochemistry at Sun Moon University
Byeollee Kim
PhD Student within the Department of Life Science & Biochemical Engineering at Sun Moon University
Min-Su Kim
PhD Student within the Department of Life Science & Biochemical Engineering at Sun Moon University
Jun Hyuck Lee
Principal Researcher at the Korea Polar Research Institute
Woo-Haeng Lee
Postdoctoral Researcher within the Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering at Sun Moon University
Prakash Paudel
PhD Student within the Department of Life Science & Biochemical Engineering at Sun Moon University
Kamal Prasad Regmi
PhD Student within the Department of Life Science & Biochemical Engineering at Sun Moon University
Prasansah Shrestha
Postdoctoral Researcher within the Department of Life Science and Biochemical Engineering at Sun Moon University
Ryoichi Yamada
PhD Student within the Department of Life Science & Biochemical Engineering at Sun Moon University
Hirotake Yamaguchi
PhD Student within the Department of Life Science & Biochemical Engineering at Sun Moon University
Konstantina Beritza
Postdoctoral Researcher within the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge
Tomasz Czechowski
Senior Research Associate within the Department of Biology at the University of York
Ian Graham
Professor within the Department of Biology at the University of York
Benjamin Lichman
Senior Research Fellow within the Department of Biology at the University of York
Cobus Smit
Research Associate within the Department of Biology at the University of York
Nadia Bouain
Lab Manager within the Rouached Lab at Michigan State University
Maria Camalle
Postdoctoral Scholar within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Michigan State University
Hui-Kyong Cho
Postdoctoral Scholar within the Rouached Lab at Michigan State University
David Douches
Professor within the Department of Plant, Soil & Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University
Riccardo Giacomelli
Undergraduate Research Assistant within the Department of Plant, Soil, & Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University
Andrea Glassmire
Assistant Professor within the Departments of Entomology and Plant Biology at Michigan State University
Maryam Goudarzi
Associate Professor and Core Director of the Mass Spectrometry & Metabolomics Core Facility at Michigan State University
Erich Grotewold
Professor within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Michigan State University
Hani Habra
Bioinformatician within the Goudarzi Lab at Michigan State University
Joe Hamm
Associate Professor within the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University
Linda Hanson
USDA-ARS Plant Pathologist & Adjust Professor within the Department of Plant, Soil, & Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University
Bri Hashim
Graduate Student within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Michigan State University
Charles Hawkins
Research Scientist within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Michigan State University
Danielle Hoffmann
Postdoctoral Scholar within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Michigan State University
Gregg Howe
Foundation Professor within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Michigan State University
Jieun Kang
Postdoctoral Scholar within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Michigan State University
Chris Long
Potato Extension Specialist within the Department of Plant, Soil & Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University
Phabian Makokha
Research Assistant II within the Potato Outreach Program at Michigan State University
Karine Prado
Lab Manager within the Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Plant Biology at Michigan State University
Jing Pu
PhD Student within the Xie Lab and the Department of Statistics & Probability at Michigan State University
Marisol Quintanilla
Assistant Professor and Extension Nematologist within the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University
Tasmia Rahman
Undergraduate Student within the Xie Lab and the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at Michigan State University
Hannah Reish
Lab Manager within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Michigan State University
Barno Rezaeva
Postdoctoral Scholar within the Rhee Lab and Department of Plant Biology at Michigan State University
Hatem Rouached
Professor within the Molecular Plant Sciences Program at Michigan State University
Katherine Rivera-Zuluaga
Postdoctoral Scholar within the Rhee Lab at Michigan State University
Tony Schilmiller
Associate Director of the Mass Spectrometry & Metabolomics Core at Michigan State University
Nicholas Schlecht
Postdoctoral Scholar within the Skirycz Lab at Michigan State University
Bernard Schroeter
Professional Aide within the Department of Plant, Soil, & Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University
Mazhar Sher
Assistant Professor within the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at South Dakota State University
Matt Stata
Postdoctoral Scholar within the Rhee Lab and Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Michigan State University
Lydia Story
Graduate Student within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Michigan State University
Jiliang Tang
Foundation Professor within the College of Engineering at Michigan State University
Robert VanBuren
Associate Professor within the Department of Plant, Soil & Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University
Jaime Wilbur
Assistant Professor within the Department of Plant, Soil & Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University
Yuying Xie
Associate Professor within the Departments of Computational Mathematics, Science & Engineering and Statistics & Probability at Michigan State University
Alen Zimić
Research Assistant within the Moghe Lab at Cornell University
C-SPIRIT 