2024 Noel Keen Distinguished Lecturer
Dr. Kenneth Birnbaum
Professor of Biology
Acting Director, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology; Faculty
Director, Cellular Analysis Core
New York University
Dr. Birnbaum’s research focuses on two inter-related questions: How do multi-cellular organisms construct specialized cells and how do the genetic components of specialized cells change over evolutionary scales? The goal is to better understand how gene regulatory networks orchestrate cell maturation, a process that results in a set of highly specialized cell types. in plants. One focus is on cellular differentiation, which is one of the key steps in organ formation, including regeneration, and development in higher organisms. The lab combines genomics and molecular genetic tools. Birnbaum pioneered methods to isolate cell types in Arabidopsis using fluorescence-activated cell sorting, followed by transcript quantification using microarray or high-throughput RNA-sequencing. More recently Birnbaum's group has innovated single-cell sequencing methods for maize and other species. The data have been used to identify likely cell-specific regulators and infer properties of the genetic circuitry of cellular specification. One focus is on xylem development. Another is more exploratory, asking how genetic networks have changed over time to create new cellular attributes and, occasionally, new cell types. Birnbaum is also a lead in the Plant Cell Atlas Initiative, a collaborative network that seeks advancement and implementation of single cell technologies to improve crop traits for future environments.
