Personnel

Dr. James Moroney - Principal Investigator

Email: btmoro@lsu.edu

Jim Moroney earned his PhD in Biochemistry from Cornell University working with Dr. Richard E. McCarty. His PhD work was on the structure and function of the chloroplast ATP synthase. He did his postdoctoral work in the laboratory of Dr. N.E. Tolbert in the Biochemistry Department at Michigan State University. He worked on photorespiration in algae but also began work on the CO₂ concentrating mechanism (CCM) of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. He has continued to work on the CCM and C. reinhardtii since joining the faculty of Louisiana State University.

Dr. David Longstreth - Collaborating Professor

Email: btlong@lsu.edu

Isaiah Pabuayon (Joined in Spring 2022) - Postdoctoral Researcher

Email: ipabuayon@lsu.edu

Isaiah earned his bachelor's degree in biology-genetics from the University of the Philippines - Los Baños. He later went on to earn his doctorate degree in plant and soil science from Texas Tech University before doing his postdoc there as well. His work in this lab explores the effects of inserting different algal CO₂ concentrating mechanism (CCM) components into plants to see if and how they will improve photosynthetic efficiency.

Hiruni Weerasooriya (Joined in Spring 2018) - Graduate Student

Email: hweera1@lsu.edu

Hiruni majored in Plant Sciences at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. She joined the LSU Biology graduate program in January 2018. She is currently working on characterizing the carbonic anhydrases in higher plants. She enjoys reading which helps her grow as a person, expanding her views on life.

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Undergraduate Researchers

 Faith Loh

Faith is a biochemistry major on the Pre-Med track. She joined the lab fall semester of 2021 and is currently working on an honors thesis focusing on the role of LCIC in yeast and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. During her free time, Faith enjoys journaling, working out, and planning new experiences for future travelling.

Brittany Cassel

Brittany joined the lab in January 2022 and majors in Biology with a minor in Business with the goal of going to medical school. She enjoys meeting new people and going on adventures.

Jacob Nguyen

Jacob joined the lab in the summer of 2022 and majors in biochemistry on the Pre-Med track with a focus in dermatology. In his free time, he enjoys perusing vintage clothing stores and visiting local coffee shops.

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Former Lab Members

 

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Former Research Associates/Lab Managers

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Former Undergraduates