I obtained my Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Rice University (Houston, Texas) in 2004. In the fall of 2006, I became a Howard Hughes Participating Faculty member and collaborate with HHMI Professor Bonnie Bartel at Rice. Dr. Bartel was awarded a one million dollar grant from HHMI to develop a program integrating undergraduate classes with research. This grant supports the development of a laboratory course at HU (BIOL 371) in which students work on individual research projects in plant molecular biology. In addition, funding is provided for selected students to continue and expand these projects by working with Dr. Bartel during the summer. Our research interests focus on auxins, a class of phytohormones affecting virtually every aspect of plant development. Plants regulate auxin levels through complex interactions among de novo synthesis, degradation, influx, efflux, and conjugate synthesis and hydrolysis. A thorough knowledge of these pathways is key to understanding auxin influences on plants. We are using genetic approaches to understand the function and metabolism of auxin conjugates in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

• Selected Publications
• Bartel Lab

e-mail: rrampey@harding.edu
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