Adrien Burlacot, Principal Investigator

My scientific goal is to understand how photosynthesis acclimates to various environmental fluctuations and the mechanisms that allow it to fast and efficiently fix CO2. Eventually being able to engineer it to create new photosynthesis-based carbon capture technologies. What I enjoy most is working with people from different background, forming a group to work on big goals that no one could achieve on its own. I value diversity, people, new ideas, communication, perseverance and safety.

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Curriculum vitae

aburlacot at carnegiescience dot edu

Carolyne Stoffel, Research Associate
I received my B. A. in Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Genetics, Genomics, and Development from UC Berkeley in 2022. As an undergraduate at Cal, I worked as a Lab Assistant in the Dawson Lab and the Center for Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry. I also was an apprentice in the Simms Lab where I conducted research on plants and their microbiomes in a changing climate. I am excited to be in the lab, deepening my understanding of photosynthesis and to address global issues using science. Outside of the lab, I enjoy going to concerts, taking nature walks, and trying new vegan foods! 

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cstoffel at carnegiescience dot edu

Evan Saldivar, PhD Student
I received my bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 2019. I became interested in plant metabolism through an internship in the Schmelz lab at UCSD, studying specialized metabolism in maize. I joined Stanford’s biology department as a graduate student in 2020 to pursue my doctoral thesis in the Rhee Lab. My research in the Rhee Lab is focused on the interaction between central carbon metabolism and vigor in higher plants grown under limiting nutrient concentrations, using Arabidopsis as a model system. As a parallel line of inquiry in the Burlacot Lab, I am studying the relationship between central carbon metabolism and fitness in cyanobacteria grown under environments known to modulate photosynthetic efficiency, to better understand the complex interaction between environment and metabolism within cyanobacterial communities. 

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esaldivar at carnegiescience dot edu

Liat Adler, Postdoc
I completed my PhD in the McCormick group at the University of Edinburgh where I discovered the wonders of algal CO2-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs)! My PhD research focused on thylakoid bicarbonate ion channels. I then worked on the formation of the pyrenoid starch sheath in the Mackinder group at the university of York. Now, in the Burlacot lab, I’m excited to be investigating how the CCM energised. I also hope to continue engaging in science outreach projects. Outside the lab I enjoy rock climbing, pole dancing and nature-based art. 

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ladler at carnegiescience dot edu

Sai Maddiredi, Postdoc
I received my PhD from University of Hyderabad under the guidance of Prof. S. Rajagopal. My doctoral work was mainly focused on the effect of elevated temperature on the thylakoid membrane complexes in C. reinhardtii. Under an Indo-Japan collaboration project, I worked with Prof. Y. Takahashi at the Okayama University in Japan with an idea that engineering the Photosystem I acceptor side can minimize excitation pressure under high light. After the Ph.D., I continued to work in Department of Plant sciences, University of Hyderabad, as Research Associate under UGC-ISF project in collaboration with Prof. Nathan Nelson (Tel Aviv University, Israel). My post-doctoral work consisted of two projects: to understand the structural dynamics of photosynthetic complexes of Pisum sativum under varying temperature stress; understanding the role of non-high-light induced LHCSR3 expression in C. reinhardtii; under nutrient starvation.

Here at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Adrien Burlacot’s lab, using C. reinhardii as model organism, I will continue to investigate the dynamic relationships between different photosynthetic mechanisms and regulatory pathways under fluctuating environmental conditions.

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smadireddi at carnegiescience dot edu

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