Ibore Natukunda, Martha

• Postdoctoral Research Associate, Genetics & Genomics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 

• Ph.D., Genetics & Genomics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 

• B.S., Agriculture/Crop Science, Makerere University, Uganda

The Ibore Natukunda lab utilizes interdisciplinary approaches such as genetics, molecular biology, genomics, and bioinformatics methodologies to study plant traits of economic and agronomic importance. In our ongoing research projects, sorghum is utilized as a model to study the genetic basis of leaf angle in sorghum. In the summer of 2026, we will conduct experiments to study the prospective role of expansins in controlling leaf angle in sorghum. We will use imaging to compare the cell sizes of sorghum collar tissue in the lower and middle plant canopy layers. Gene expression analysis will involve the following steps: RNA Extraction → cDNA synthesis → RT-PCR → RT-qPCR. Undergraduate research assistants will work with the mentor to set up experiments (plant sorghum), phenotype (measure leaf angle), sample collar tissue, image collars cells, and conduct gene expression analysis by RT-qPCR following the steps described. When working on this project, students will also learn additional interdisciplinary methods used to study the genetic basis of traits and how to use publicly available data analysis tools to analyze large biological datasets.