Current Lab Members
Principal Investigator
Ksenija Gasic
Faculty
Stephen Parris (Postdoctoral Research Associate 2024-Present)
Michael Itam (Postdoctoral Research Associate 2023-Present)
Michael Itam is a native of Ugep in southern Nigeria. He obtained a BSc and an MSc from Ebonyi State University with a focus on Plant Physiology. Upon graduation, he furthered his studies in Japan where he earned an MSc and a PhD in molecular breeding from Tottori University, with a focus on wheat breeding for abiotic stress tolerance. After his PhD, Michael worked in Japan for a brief period before joining Michigan State University as a postdoctoral researcher. He then joined the Gasic Lab as a postdoctoral researcher in 2023 where he is currently involved with the SCRI project for genomic and breeding data collection and curation. Michael loves nature and enjoys outdoor activities. In his free time, he reads history and plays soccer.
Ralph (Trey) Burrell III (Part-time Technician 2019-Present)
Trey Burrell grew up in the town of Walhalla, SC. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Natural Resources at Clemson University in 2008. After graduating, Trey began working full time as a farm technician at Clemson’s Musser fruit research station. Trey went back to school part time while working and earned a Master’s degree in Plant and Environmental Sciences. In 2014, Trey accepted a new position working as Dr. Gasic’s technician for the peach breeding program. Trey enjoys bow hunting, gardening, and fishing during his free time. He also is fascinated by extreme weather events and actively monitors weather modeling throughout the year.
PhD. Students
Yeter (Seda) Karakoç (2022-Present)
Masters Students
Bilgehan Geylani (2024-Present)
Student Workers
