Cristiane Hayumi Taniguti

I am currently working as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Texas AM University Rose Breeding and Genetics Program at the Horticultural Sciences Department, focusing on developing computational tools for polyploid species genetic analysis. Throughout my academic journey, I have gained diverse research experiences in various areas. During my undergraduate studies, I engaged in scientific initiation projects in different areas including organic chemistry of fungus mycotoxins, cellular regulation of CNC transcription factors, QTLs studies for fat deposition in mice, differential expression studies in Anastrepha obliqua and SNP calling in sugarcane Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) dataset. These experiences provided me with a solid foundation in laboratory techniques such as chromatography, cell cultures, western blot, RNAi and RT-PCR. In my masters, I delved deeper into SNP and genotype calling methods, and I built an integrated genetic map for an outcrossing population from the cross of Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla. For my Ph.D., I concentrated on developing novel methods and algorithms to build genetic maps in highly heterozygous diploid species using markers generated from modern sequencing technologies. This work not only contributed to advancements in OneMap software for building linkage maps but also led to the development of a collection of bioinformatic workflows called Reads2Map. These workflows provide guidance on best practices for performing and comparing different methods for SNP calling, dosage calling, and linkage map building. In my current postdoctoral research, I have expanded the application of Reads2Map to include polyploid species. Additionally, I am responsible for the development and maintenance of the VIEWpoly package, a Shiny app that facilitates the visualization and integration of genetic analysis results of polyploid species. Furthermore, I have also been working on a new software called Qploidy for aneuploidy identification using array genotyping platform data. As part of my involvement in the Tools for Polyploids Workshop, I contribute to the computational support team. My other interests include QTL mapping, emerging technologies in molecular biology and sequencing, phenotyping methods, genome selection, and genome-wide association studies. I have collaborated in linkage and QTL mapping studies in rubber trees, roses, miscanthus, cannabis, beans, and eucalyptus. As the maintainer of OneMap, Reads2Map, and VIEWpoly software, I frequently provide assistance to users conducting linkage mapping in multiple species while continually enhancing the software based on user feedback and evolving research demands. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)