Team Members
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Kevin Begcy
Dr. Begcy is an Assistant Professor of Plant Biochemistry and Molecular Physiology in the Environmental Horticulture Department at the University of Florida. Dr. Begcy received his Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and worked as a Research Scientist at the University of Regensburg, Germany.
POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW
Taehoon Kim
Dr. Kim is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Environmental Horticulture Department at the University of Florida. His research focuses on the mechanisms of stress tolerance and developmental transition in rice and maize. In his free time, Dr. Kim enjoys watching sports and playing guitar.
Andrew Egesa
Dr. Egesa is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Environmental Horticulture Department at the University of Florida. He is interested in molecular signaling during plant development and the interaction of development and stress responses in cereals. He is also an American Society of Plant Biology (ASPB) Ambassador. In his free time, he enjoys playing badminton.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
PH.D. Students
Kelvin D. Aloryi
Kelvin D. Aloryi is a PhD student in Plant Breeding Graduate program. His current research focuses on improving heat stress tolerance in lettuce using molecular and genomic tools. Kelvin enjoys playing soccer and interacting with like-minded peers in his free time.
Divya Rana
Divya is a PhD student in the Environmental Horticulture Department. Her current research focuses on exploring the responses to increased temperatures during gametogenesis in maize and rice.
In her free time, she likes to enjoy gardening and painting.
RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Isabel Ocampo
Isabel is a Research Scientist in the Environmental Horticulture Department. Her current research focuses on developing methods that facilitate functional genomics studies. Isabel has more than 10 years of industry experience. In her free time, she likes to drink coffee.
VISITING SCIENTIST
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Jessica Barrera-Solis
FORMER BEGCY LAB TEAM MEMBERS
- Dr. Javier Correa Alvarez
- Megan Johnston
- Xingli Li
- Katie Chase
- Emma Piper
- Karolina Zakarkaite
- Evert Varela
- Gabriel Alexander
- Blake Costine
- Yuan Yuan
- Larissa Laforest
- Shafina Samraj
- Makenzie Meikle
- Alec Dunker
- Rebecca Arias
- Melina Michel