Assistant Professor
Colorado State University
Dr. Antunes graduated from a PhD at Purdue University and is now Assistant Professor at Colorado State University. He is interested in developing artificially-controlled genetic networks to program plants and plant cells to perform desired functions. Synthetic genetic switches can be introduced into plants to precisely control gene expression, rewiring natural signaling and metabolic pathways, or generating novel traits. Engineering these systems to behave according to specific inputs can serve both basic research and field-applied purposes, allowing applications that range from enhancing crop productivity to on-demand bio-manufacturing (pharmaceuticals, biofuels, etc.).