News Release : May 2011 - Congratulations and farewell, Dr. Tami McDonald!

The Lutzoni lab congratulates Dr. Tami McDonald for completing her graduate work. Tami's dissertation, entitled “Genomic Insights into the Evolution and Development of the Lichen Symbiosis: Cladonia grayi as a Model Lichen” explores aspects of the lichen symbiosis revealed by the genome sequencing of the fungus and alga composing the lichen Cladonia grayi, including the horizontal transfer of ammonium transporter genes into fungi and characterization of DNA methylation in the genomes of the fungus and the alga in the symbiotic and free-living states.

Tami will be joining Kirsten Nielsen's lab at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Microbiology to study the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus.