04/07/2004

• College First Rank in B.Sc.
• Gold Medal in M.Sc. from Nagarjuna University, India for obtaining University First Rank.
• Elected to Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society based on GPA and Research at Louisiana State University 1983.
• Outstanding Graduate Student Award 1984-85, Indiana State University, Department of Life Sciences.
• Member Sigma Xi Scientific Society.
• Teaching Excellence Honor Roll, Michigan Technological University, 1993
• Listed in Who's Who in America since 1994.
• List of American Men and Women of Science since 1994.
• Listed in Who's Who Worldwide since 1994.
• Invited Visiting Professor Fellowship at Institute of Protein Biochemistry, University of Urbino, Italy. December 1997.
• Invited Visiting Professor Fellowship from Institute of National Research in Agriculture (INRA), Nancy France. November 1998-February 1999.
• Invited Visiting Professorships at University of Stuttgart, Germany and University of Torino, Italy, December 1998.
• Finnish National Academy Visiting Professorship February, 2000.

SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY OFFICE AND COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS

• Elected to the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Committee of American Phytopathological Society for a three-year term (1994-1997).
• Elected to the Mycorrhizae Committee of American Phytopathological Society for a three-year term (1995-1998).

• Chair, American Phytopathological Society Mycorrhizae committee 1997-98.
• Organizer of International Symposium on Integrating Principles of Plant Pathology and Molecular Biology With Mycorrhiza Research at the 1998 American Phytopathological Society meeting November 7-12, Las Vegas.
• Chair, New Frontiers in Mycorrhiza Research, 7 th International Mycological Congress, Oslo, Norway, August 2002.

• Councilor at large, International Symbiosis Society 2000-2003; 2003-2006.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Reviewer of grant proposals:

• USDA-NRICGP competitive grants in Plant Molecular Genetics, Plant Pathogens, Plant Morphology and Development, Plant Responses to Environment, Soil Biology, Biocontrol Programs since 1993.
• NSF, Integrative Plant Biology and MCB programs
• South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
• International Evaluator for The Italian Ministry for University and Research Grants Review Committee.
• Reviewer for US-Israel BARD program in Plant Molecular Biology.

Reviewer of manuscripts:

Phytopathology, Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions, Mycologia, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Archives of Microbiology, Symbiosis, Mycorrhiza, New Phytologist, Plant Cell Reports, Plant Physiology, Biotechniques, Plant and Soil, Current Genetics, PNAS, Canadian Journal of Botany

Editorial Board: " Symbiosis".

Editorial Advisory Board: New Phytologist

Editorial Board: Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants 2003-2006

Editorial Board: Journal of Plant Interactions

Panel member: NIH-NIGMS-MBRS Genetics Review Panel (1995-present).

NIH-NIGMS-MBRS Support Subcommittee (2004-2008)

US Dept. of Education GAANN (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Needs) (2003-2006)

NSF-ASEE Graduate Research Fellowship program

Italian Ministry of Education Grant Review Panel (2005-2008)

Workshops: Organized the Indo-US workshop funded through DST, India and NSF, USA on Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Mycorrhizae. JNU, New Delhi, India, March 23- 28, 2003.

Patents obtained:

1. US05922928 07/13/1999 Genetic transformation and regeneration of woody plants.

2. US5886243: 03/23/1999 Genetic engineering of wood-color in plants

3. WO 02058459-A5 8/1/2002; BASF Plant Science GmbH (DE). Transgenic Trees Having Increased Resistance to Imidazolinone Herbicides.

4. Plants having altered reproductive capacity (patent #514242 issued in NZ; US patent 6,858,776)

Invited Seminars

INVITED SEMINARS, SYMPOSIA AND KEYNOTE SPEECHES:

G.K. Podila, Functional Genomics of Plant-Mycorrhizal interactions. Universidad Nacional De Colombia, Sede Medellin, Colombia, May 10, 2007.

G.K. Podila, Studies on Cloning, Characterization and Protein-protein Interaction of MADS-box family Transcription Factors. Universidad Nacional De Colombia, Colombia, May 8, 2007.

G.K. Podila, Functional genomics of tree development, carbon sequestration and mycorrhizal interactions. Cenicafe, Cinchina, Colombia, May 7, 2007.

G.K. Podila, Functional Genomics of Ectomycorrhizal symbiosis. Invited seminar at Tata Energy Research Institute, New Delhi, India. November 8, 2006.

G.K. Podila, Tree Biotechnology and Biomass for Bioenergy. Key Note talk, at New Frontiers in Biotechnology Symposium, SP. University, Gujarat. India

G.K. Podila, Insights from Laccaria Genome. Keynote talk at the 5th International Symbiosis Society meeting, Vienna, Austria. August 5, 2006.

G.K. Podila, Invited Symposium talk on Functional Genomics of Early Interactions of ECM symbiosis. 5th International Mycorrhiza Congress. Granada, Spain. July 18, 2006.

Chaired 3rd Workshop on Laccaria bicolor genome annotation in Nancy, France. April 4-6, 2006 and also gave a talk on Annotation of non-coding RNAs from L. bicolor genome.

G.K. Podila, Mike Muratet, Sebastian Duplessis. 2005. Prediction of Gene Models and signaling genes from Laccaria bicolor genome. October 14, 2005. University of Gent, Belgium.

G.K. Podila “ Insights from Laccaria genome” Invited Symposium talk, International Union of Microbiological Societies conference, August 8-13, 2005. San Francisco, CA.

G.K. Podila “ The world underground: Genomics of Ectomycorrhizae”. NCL Pune, India. June 8, 2005.

G.K. Podila “Functional Genomics of early interactions ectomycorrhizal symbiosis: Study of Ras mediated signaling pathways” Invited symposium talk 23 rd International Fungal Genetics Conference, Asilomar, CA March 15-20, 2005.

Podila G.K. Gene expression patterns of trembling aspen trees following long-term exposure to interacting elevated CO 2 and tropospheric O 3. 12th New Phytologist International Symposium “Functional Genomics of adaptation in Populus” Gatlinburg, TN October 10-13, 2004.

Podila, G.K. Functional genomics of early interaction events in ectomycorrhizal symbiosis.invited symposium talk at 4 th International Conference on Mycorrhizae, Montreal, Canada, August 10-15, 2003

Podila GK. 2003. Regulation of two-carbon metabolism related genes in early stages of ectomycorrhizal symbiosis. Invited symposium talk at Fourth International Symbiosis Society Conference. August 18-23, 2003. Halifax, Canada.

Podila, G.K. Identification of Ras mediated signaling pathways involved in ectomycorrhizal symbiosis. Invited symposium talk at Fourth International Symbiosis Society Conference. August 18-23, 2003. Halifax, Canada.

Podila G.K. 2003. Early interactions in ectomycorrhizal symbiosis: Signaling and shifts in metabolism. Indo-US Workshop on Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Mycorrhizal Fungi. March 23-28, 2003. New Delhi, India.

Podila G.K. 2003. Functional genomics, genetic engineering and applications of mycorrhizal fungi . Indo-US Workshop on Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Mycorrhizal Fungi. March 23-28, 2003. New Delhi, India.

Podila, G.K. 2002. Metabolism in ectomycorrhizal preinfection: Invited symposium talk at 7th International Mycological Congress. University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, August 11-17, 2002.

Podila G.K . 2002. Metabolic shifts in early stages of ectomycorrhizal symbiosis: Regulation of genes involved in two-carbon metabolism. Invited symposium talk at Functional Genomics of Plant-Microbe Interactions" 10th New Phytologist Symposium Centre National de Formation Forestière, Nancy-Velaine, France, 23-25 October 2002.

Podila, G.K . 2000. Invited symposium speaker “ The good which came from evil: An outline of what we learned about air pollution and oxidative stress in plants” IUFRO meeting on air Pollution, Global Change and Forests in the New Millennium, May 28-31, 2000, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI.

Podila, G.K . 2000. Invited Plenary Lecture “ Molecular Genetics of Ectomycorrhizal Symbiosis: The Early Genes”, Third International Congress on Symbiosis, August 12-19, 2000, Marburg, Germany.

Podila, G.K. 2000. Invited Seminar “ Basic Research to Biotechnology: A Tree Perspective”, University of Minnesota, Duluth, April 14, 2000.

Podila, G.K .1999. Invited seminar “ WWW: Molecular genetics of ectomycorrhizae, Ohio State University Molecular biology seminar series, October 15, 1999, Columbus, OH.

Podila, G.K . 1999. Invited Seminar “ Molecular Genetics of Ectomycorrhizal Symbiosis”, USDA-ARS, Philadelphia, May 26, 1999.

Podila, G.K . 1999. Invited Seminar “ Symbiosis related early gene expression from Laccaria bicolor during ectomycorrhiza development with red pine. January 5, 1999. University of Nancy-Poincare, France.

Podila, G.K . 1998. Invited seminar “Wood wide webs: Molecular Genetics of Ectomycorrhizae” April 10, 1998 Texas Tech University.

Podila, G.K . 1998. Invited Plenary Lecture “ Symbiosis related early gene expression from Laccaria bicolor during ectomycorrhiza development with red pine”. 2 nd International Conference on Mycorrhiza. July 5-10, Uppsala, Sweden.

Podila, G.K . 1998. Invited Symposium Lecture” Transduction pathways that have evolved in pine-Laccaria ectomycorrhiza”. 6 th International Mycological Congress, August 23-28. Jerusalem, Israel.

Podila, G.K. 1997. Invited seminars at University of Urbino, Italy: December 1-7,

Molecular genetics of ectomycorrhizal symbiosis and signal transduction.

Genetic engineering of ectomycorrhizal fungi towards biological control, manipulation of plant growth and health.

Tree biotechnology and value added genes.

Molecular genetics of tree development and search for genetic switches that control development of reproduction and wood formation.

Lignin biosynthesis in tree species and manipulation of lignin biosynthesis in trees.

Oxidative stress responses and biochemical and molecular basis of antioxidant mechanisms in trees.

Podila, G.K . 1997. Symposium speech on" Early gene expression from ectomycorrhizal fungi and biotechnological uses of ectomycorrhizal fungi. 19th International Fungal genetics Conference, Pacific Grove, CA. March 18-23, 1997.

Podila, G.K "Forest Biotechnology Applications", Invited Speaker, University Series Seminar, Indiana State University. August 31, 1993.

Podila, G.K Invited symposium speaker. 1989 Regulation and expression of fungal genes by plant signals. EMBO Molecular Biology of Filamentous Fungi. July 2-7, Espoo, Finland.

Podila, G.K Invited Symposium Speaker. 1988. Plant signals that trigger expression of pathogenesis genes in fungi. In Proceedings from 4th International Conference on Molecular Genetics of Plant-Microbe Interaction, May 15-18, Acapulco, Mexico.

Courses Taught:

Introductory Cell and Molecular Biology

Cell Biology

Cell Physiology

Biology for Engineers

Molecular Biology for Bioinformatics

Undergraduate Honors Research in Molecular Biology

Molecular Biology of Gene

Molecular modeling and Bioinformatics

Undergraduate Seminar

Molecular Biology Techniques

Special Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Graduate Seminar

STUDENT TRAINING

Degrees Awarded:

Ph. D. 11

MS 10

Undergraduate research assistants: 35

Current students

3 Ph.D.

1 MS

2 Undergraduate research assistants

Postdoctoral Scientists trained: 10

Current: 1 Research Asst. Professor, 1 postdoc

Research Scientists trained: 6

© 1998 The University of Alabama in Huntsville

Last Updated: October 10, 2002