Michelle T. Juarez, Ph.D.

Assistant Project Scientist
Science Background: Animal & Plant Developmental Genetics

An example of the diverse Ph.D.s available in our Doctoral Directory. See the Sponsorships page for access to the database.

Education

Ph.D., Genetics, State University of New York, Stony Brook, 2004
Dissertation: Dorsoventral patterning of Zea mays lateral organs
Advisor: Marja Timmermans, Ph.D.
B.S., Plant Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 1998
Senior Thesis: Knotted1 homeobox gene function in Nicotiana tabacum
Advisor: Sarah Hake, Ph.D.

Work Experience

Assistant Project Scientist, University of California, San Diego, 2009 to present
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, San Diego, 2005 to 2008

Selected Honors and Awards

Hilde Mangold Postdoctoral Symposium, Best Presentation, Society for Developmental Biology 69th Annual Meeting, 2010
Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2005 to 2008

Selected Research Publications

(from a total of 7 publications)
Juarez MT, Patterson RA, Sandoval-Guillen E, McGinnis W (2011). Duox, Flotillin-2, and Src42A are required to activate or delimit the spread of the transcriptional response to epidermal wounds in Drosophila.
PLoS Genetics (In Press)
Pearson JC, Juarez MT, Kim M, Drivenes O, McGinnis W (2009). Multiple transcription factor codes activate epidermal wound-response genes in Drosophila.
PNAS 106(7): 2224-2229
Nogueira FT, Madi S, Chitwood DH, Juarez MT, Timmermans MCP (2007). Two small regulatory RNAs establish opposing fates of a developmental axis.
Genes and Development 21(7): 750-755
Juarez MT, Kui JS, Thomas J, Heller BA, Timmermans MCP. (2004) microRNA mediated repression of rolled leaf1 specifies maize leaf polarity.
Nature 428(6978): 84-88

Affiliations & Memberships

Genetics Society of America
Society for Developmental Biology
American Society for Cell Biology
Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans

News, Feature, and Policy Publications & Presentations

Juarez MT (2010). Strategies to Promote Recognition of the IRACDA Programs. National IRACDA Conference. Boston, MA (POSTER)
Roca AI, Aguilar-Roca NM, & Juarez MT, Illuminate research and teach science postdocs.
Science (E-Letter, 27 May 2010)
Juarez MT (2007). A different model for Postdoctoral Training and promoting Diversity in Academia: NIH-Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award. National Postdoctoral Association 5th Annual Conference, Berkeley, CA. (POSTER)
Juarez MT, Aguilar-Roca N, Roca A (2006). Knowledge for the Next Generation: Career Resources for Teaching at Institutions of Higher Learning, Co-Chair Professional Development Session, SACNAS National Conference, Tampa, FL. (TALK)
Torres M, Aguilar-Roca N, Barrera A, Juarez MT, et al., (2006) The SACNAS Postdoc Committee as a model for diversifying the science workforce, National Postdoctoral Association 4th Annual Conference, Bethesda, MD. (POSTER)

Summary Biosketch

Dr. Juarez is a Project Scientist and former NIH IRACDA Postdoctoral Fellow working for Dr. William McGinnis in the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology at the University of California, San Diego. Her research uses developmental genetics to study the epithelial wound response in Drosophila melanogaster. The significance of this project is the elaboration of pathway controlling wound healing and regeneration in Drosophila and applying the knowledge gained to mammalian models. She received a Ph.D. in Genetics from SUNY-Stoney Brook in December 2004, conducting her experimental work at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Dr. Juarez’s future goal is to establish her own lab at a research university. Participating in the IRACDA Postdoctoral program allowed her to develop the tools necessary to effectively communicate her research and reach out to new generation of students.

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last updated 2-Oct-2011