Dr. Olivia Wilkins leads the Plant Systems Biology research group at the University of Manitoba. She received her PhD from the University of Toronto in 2010. From 2011 to 2015, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Genomics and Systems Biology at New York University. In 2015, she was a Visiting Scientist at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. In 2013, she was awarded a Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development Award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2016, she joined the Faculty at McGill University, and in 2019 she joined the Faculty at the University of Manitoba. She is an Associate Editor at Genome (Canadian Science Publishing). She is also a Core Network Participant in the Plant Cell Atlas. 

Dr. Oluwatoyosi Adaramodu (Lisa) is a Nigerian plant biologist studying how plant development drives physiological adaptation to environmental stress. She received her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she used single-cell transcriptomics to study developmental transitions in sorghum leaves and leaf hydraulics, with a specific interest in bulliform cells. Her current research integrates plant physiology, developmental biology, anatomy and genomics to understand how grasses evolve and coordinate cellular functions that contribute to stress resilience and adaptation. When she is not in the lab, you will probably find her curled up in her apartment with a good book or turning the living room into her own concert venue. She also loves traveling and is always on the lookout for great food wherever she goes.

Chi is interested in the high-throughput identification of microbial inoculants with plant growth promoting properties. Chi aims to apply and expand her knowledge in microbiology to determine the inoculants that can increase crop yields, to elucidate the plant-microbe interactions, and to learn more about plant biology. Outside of research, Chi enjoys cooking, going to concerts and comedy shows, and relaxing with her cat Shallot.

Ni is a Masters student interested in plant-microbe interactions, particularly in how microbes can enhance plant growth and health. Outside of academics, Ni enjoys hiking in nature and spending time with her cat, Tibbers. 

Kevin is a Master's student studying how plant-microbe interactions reshape the host transcriptome. His research focuses on identifying beneficial bacterial strains that improve plant growth during abiotic stresses, with the long-term goal of applying his knowledge in plant genetics to protect Canada's forests from endemic pathogens. Outside the lab, Kevin enjoys cooking, tending to his plants, hiking, and fishing.

Gbenga is a Master’s student whose research explores how wildfire smoke affects plants. He is interested in understanding how plants sense and respond to smoke stress at the cellular and molecular levels, with the goal of helping build more resilient agricultural systems in a changing climate. He enjoys working at the intersection of biology, environmental change, and technology. Outside the lab, he can usually be found listening to music from just about every genre imaginable or watching football (soccer, lol).