Ling Xu is a postdoctoral scholar affiliated with the Coleman-Derr lab at the Plant Gene Expression Center.
What microbiome-related work do you do?
I am interested in the longitudinal development of the sorghum root microbiome. We use 16S amplicon sequencing to understand dynamics in root colonization by bacteria across all developmental stages. We also use metatranscriptomics and metabolomics to understand the interaction between plant and bacteria during drought stress. Our long term aim is to use knowledge gained from these experiments to help sorghum and related crops grow better during environmental stress.
What have you gained from the initiative so far?
The initiative is a great platform to get to know my colleagues in Berkeley and understand their work. I’ve been inspired by their work and found my future collaborators.