Heather McFarlane

BIOGRAPHY

Heather McFarlane is an Associate Faculty Member who works with Faculty Member Lacey Samuels to recommend the scientific literature in their field.

CURRENT POSITION:
Member of the Samuels Lab

EDUCATION:
• PhD (in progress) Botany, University of British Columbia (2008-present)
• MSc Cell Biology, McGill University (2006-2008)
• BSc (honours) Cell and Developmental Biology, University of British Columbia (2002-2006)

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
In a broad sense, I am interested in intracellular trafficking and secretion. I am particularly interested in polarized secretion, and in the factors governing the establishment and maintenance of organelle identity.

Currently, I am studying lipid export from plant cells. My model systems include the cuticular wax-secreting epidermal cells of Arabidopsis thaliana and Sorghum bicolor, and the essential oil-secreting glands of peppermint. All three of these plant cell types secrete extraordinary large volumes of lipids during particular time-points in their development. However, the mechanisms of this transport have not yet been elucidated. I am using a combination of approaches including light and electron microscopy, reverse genetics, and biochemistry to characterize the molecular mechanisms behind plant lipid export.

HOME PAGE
http://samuelslab.blogspot.com/2009/03/heather-mcfarlane.html