Horticultural Sciences

Dr. Robert J. Ferl

Professor and Assistant Director

Mailing Address:
Fifield Hall
2550 Hull Road
PO Box 110690
Gainesville, Florida 32611

Office: 2109 Fifield Hall
Phone: (352) 273-4822
E-mail: robferl@ufl.edu

Areas of Research
- Space biology
- Examination of 14-3-3 proteins
- Examination of chromatin structure

Educational Background
- Ph.D., M.A., Genetics and Biochemistry, Indiana University (1980)
- B.A., Hiram College (1976)

Work Experience
- Professor, Horticultural Sciences Department (1990-present)
- Director Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research (2006-present)
- Director of UF ICBR DNA Sequencing Laboratory (1988-present)
- Assistant Director, UF Biotechnology Program (1994-2006)
- Director of UF ICBR BEECS Genetics Laboratory (1992-1995)
- Chairman, Institutional Biosafety Committee (1998-1995)
- Administrative Council, Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research at UF (1990-1991)
- Biological Sciences Teaching Program, University of Florida (1985-1987)
- Acting Chairman, Department of Botany, University of Florida (1986-1987)
- Associate Professor, Department of Vegetable Crops (1987-1990)
- Associate Professor, Department of Botany, University of Florida (1986-1987)
- Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, University of Florida (1980-1986)

Honors and Awards
- Visiting Research Scientist: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Division of Plant Industry, Canberra, Australia 3/81 to 8/81
- Teacher of the Year, Lambda Gamma Phi Honorary Society, University of Florida, 1984
- Distinguished Teaching Award, 1984 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Florida
- Faculty Research Achievement Award 1987, 1989, 1992
- Harper Collins Biology Texts
- Board of Examiners for GRE Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 1989 – 1996
- Award of Excellence for Graduate Research, IFAS, University of Florida, 1994
- US Secretary of Agriculture Honor Award for Excellence 1997
- CREES Recognition Award 1997
- UFRF Professorship 1999, 2005
- Chair- Science Council –Division of Space Life Sciences for USRA 2010-2013
- Member- National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council NASA Decadal Study, 2010

Program Personnel
- Natasha Sng, graduate student
- Eric Schultz, graduate student
- Matt Bamsey, postdoc
- Thomas Graham, postdoc
- Fiona Denison, postdoc
- Agata Zupanska, postdoc
- Lawrence Rasmussen, biologist
- Anna-Lisa Paul, Research Associate Professor

Selected Publications

Authors	Year	Title / Description	Publication
Zupanska AK, Ferl RJ, Denison FC, Paul A‐L	2013	Spaceflight engages heat shock protein and other molecular chaperone genes in Arabidopsis tissue culture cells.	Am. Journal of Botany 100:235-248.
Paul A-L, Wheeler R, Levine H, Ferl RJ	2013	Fundamental plant biology enabled by the space shuttle.	Am. Journal of Botany 100:226-234.
Paul A‐L, Amalfitano CE, Ferl RJ	2012	Plant growth strategies are remodeled by spaceflight.	BMC Plant Biology. 12:232 doi:10.1186/1471-2229-12-232.
Paul A-L, Denison FC, Schultz ER, Zupanska AK, Ferl RJ	2012	14-3-3 phosphoprotein interaction networks - does isoform diversity present functional interaction specification?	Front Plant Sci 3: 190.
Schultz E, Zupanska A, Manning-Roach S, Camacho J, Levine H, Paul A-L and Ferl RJ	2012	Testing the Bio-compatibility of Aluminum PDFU BRIC Hardware.	Gravitational and Space Biology 26(2): 48-63.
Mayfield JD, Paul A-L, Ferl RJ	2012	The 14-3-3 proteins of Arabidopsis regulate root growth and chloroplast development as components of the photosensory system.	J. Exp.Botany.
Paul A-L, Zupanska A, Ostrow DT, Zhang Y, Sun Y, Li J-L, Shanker S, Farmerie WG, Amalfitano CE, Ferl RJ	2012	Spaceflight transcriptomes: unique responses to a novel environment.	Astrobiology 12: 40-56.
Paul A-L and Ferl RJ	2011	Using green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter genes in RNAlater™ fixed tissue.	Gravitational and Space Biology 25(1): 40-43.
Paul A-L, Manak MS, Mayfield JD, Reyes MF, Gurley WB, and Ferl RJ	2011	Parabolic flight induces changes in gene expression patterns in Arabidopsis thaliana.	Astrobiology 2011 Oct;11(8):743-58.
Ferl RJ, Zupanska A, Spinale A, Reed D, Manning-Roach S, Guerra G, Cox D, Paul A-L	2011	Performance of KSC Fixation Tubes with RNALater for orbital experiments: a case study in ISS operations for molecular biology.	Advances in Space Research 48: 199-206.
Visscher AM, A-L Paul, M Kirst, CL. Guy, AC. Schuerger, and RJ. Ferl	2010	Responses of wildtype arabidopsis and ion transporter mutants to high levels of magnesium sulfate; consequences for (extra)terrestrial plant growth.	PLoS One 5(8): e12348.
Ferl RJ, Paul A-L	2010	Lunar Plant Biology – A Review the Apollo Era.	Astrobiology 10: 261-74.