Elohim earned his PhD at the National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (LANGEBIO-CINVESTAV) in Mexico, where he contributed to the identification of genomic regions and candidate genes underlying natural variation in primary root penetrability in Arabidopsis thaliana. His research focuses on leveraging multi-omics strategies to unravel how gravitropic and thigmotropic responses influence root penetration into compacted soils. He is particularly interested in decoding the genetic and molecular mechanisms that drive natural variation in root system penetrability to enhance deep rooting and CO? sequestration in crop plants. Elohim joined the Busch lab in 2022 as a part of the Harnessing Plants Initiative at the Salk Institute. He and his colleagues are focused on designing new high-throughput phenotyping platforms and creating root-targeted genetic engineering approaches to develop smart-rooting crops better adapted to land degradation and climate change.

Charlotte received her Ph.D. from the John Innes Centre (UK), where she explored natural variation in stem mechanical properties in wheat and canola. She continued at John Innes for her postdoctoral research, focusing on seed yield in canola. Using Associative Transcriptomics, she identified UPL3 as a novel regulator of seed filling—discovering that loss-of-function mutants showed a 20% increase in seed yield.

Charlotte is currently a Research Scientist at the Salk Institute, where she applies GWAS and single-nucleus RNA sequencing to investigate the developmental biology of the root periderm. As part of this work, she recently led the publication of the first single-nucleus RNA-seq atlas capturing multiple stages of periderm development at unprecedented resolution.

Beyond the lab, Charlotte plays in several local bands and enjoys all things creative. She’s recently fallen in love with snorkeling and spends her free time fostering senior dogs.

Maeve, originally from the Philippines, moved to San Diego and obtained her bachelor’s in Biology from Point Loma Nazarene University in May 2024. While in PLNU, she became part of a research lab to identify the function of the putative gene SSD1 in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii using CRISPR knockouts. She joined the Busch lab as part of the greenhouse operations team in September 2024. Outside of work, Maeve enjoys watching Korean Shows, learning dances, reading, and catching up with friends.

Ethnically Laotian and Californian, born and raised in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. From early encounters with enriching plant exhibitions throughout Arabia and Africa, a passion for the preservation, restoration, and safeguarding of our natural was cultivated. This fervor fueled by formative experience ignited a lifelong commitment to being part of the solutions our planet needs. Furthering this journey led her to earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental science with emphasis on Restoration and Conservation Ecology at the University of San Francisco. During her education she honed on the understanding of the delicate balance between nature and human impact, gaining invaluable insights into the urgent need for action. The path towards becoming an active contributor to environmental solutions brought her to the role of Research Assistant I within the Phenotyping Team at the Busch Lab at the Encinitas location, where she finds herself at the heart of innovation, working passionately to address one of the most pressing challenges confronting our natural spaces: climate change. She looks forward to continuing her work with Salk as a steward of the environment driven by the unwavering belief that we can make a difference.

Shivang Sharma, originally from New Jersey and India, came to the West Coast to attend college at UC San Diego. In 2023, he graduated with a B.Sc. degree in marine biology, as well as with a minor in Japanese studies. During his undergrad, he studied bioinformatics, phylogenetics, and ecology, with the aspiration of using bioinformatics to analyze the behavioral ecology of marine macro-organisms. With an added interest in Japanese language, culture, and the marine research established across the archipelago, he aspires to become a marine researcher in Japan. After graduation, Shivang worked as a bioinformatician for one year at the Gerwick Lab in Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where he analyzed cyanobacterial genomes and created data pipelines for genome mining. In September 2024, he joined the Salk Institute’s Harnessing Plants Initiative as a Lab Technician to support Salk’s greenhouse operations and gain more hands-on experience with growth systems. He plans to apply for graduate school as a PhD student specializing in marine behavioral ecology. In his downtime, Shivang enjoys bicycling, playing video games, and scuba diving with the hopes of becoming a professional diver in the near future.