Trainee and Tech First Thursdays #7

This month, we feature Jason Lynn , a postdoctoral researcher in the Rob Martienssen lab at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory . Jason delves into the complexities of epigenetic inheritance in plants using a multifaceted approach. His research bridges the strengths of established model organisms like Arabidopsis and maize with the emerging potential of duckweed. By studying the role of small RNA in paramutation and transgenerational epigenetic memory, Jason seeks to uncover the mechanisms driving non-Mendelian inheritance and explore their potential applications in biotechnology.

As Chair of the CSHL Postdoctoral Leadership Council (PDLC), Jason had been a dedicated advocate for postdocs, fostering a sense of community and voicing their needs to institutional leadership. His efforts have led to tangible improvements, including better salaries and housing options. Looking ahead, the PDLC envisions initiatives such as specialized symposia and networking events designed to enhance career opportunities and elevate the visibility of CSHL postdocs.

Your early career was in the private sector before pursuing a Ph.D. at Florida State University. What influenced your decision to pivot toward research in plant science, and how has your background informed your perspective in academia?

To address rising demand for automatic home emergency backup power generators in South Florida, I started a business providing sales, installation, and service of Generac products. I wanted to grow my business, so I enrolled at Miami Dade Community College in an associate’s program in Business Administration. I enjoyed college courses much more than I remembered from high school, and this reinvigorated a desire for learning, leading me to sell my business and move to Tallahassee to enroll at FSU as a transfer student. There I became interested in biology and began independent research with Dr. Kay Jones studying nitrogen fixing symbiosis between plants and bacteria. I learned basic molecular cloning for my project and made a construct that could report calcium concentration throughout the infection process in the root hair. The idea of solving problems in biology using transgenic approaches fascinated me and I decided to pursue a career in research, earning my PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology at FSU and continuing as an NSF postdoctoral fellow to study epigenetic memory of stress at CSHL with Dr. Rob Martienssen. In my business, I built trusting relationships with contractors and employees that gave me confidence that we would deliver a quality product for our clients. I think that my background in business is unique in academia and has influenced my approach to science by giving more attention to communication and developing trust in relationships, whether with colleagues, collaborators, mentors, or students. I also think running a small business trained me to be more adaptable, which is important when working on collaborative projects with many people and moving parts.

Your LinkedIn profile emphasizes a diverse use of plant models to explore epigenetic phenomena. Could you walk us through your research approach and share your vision, especially with duckweed, the smallest flowering plant known?

Plants are different from humans in an important way when it comes to epigenetics – the plant germline is established post-embryonically, increasing the chances for novel epigenetic variation in germline progenitor cells to be transmitted to offspring. Small RNA is a critical component of this epigenetic machinery, and I think a successful research program in this area needs to have various models that are suitable for specific questions. Arabidopsis has been the workhorse of plant molecular biology, with a strong research community producing over thirty years of knowledge and resources for investigating epigenetics. Maize is an important crop species and a classical model for genetics. Using the maize b1 paramutation system, one of the best characterized examples of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, I investigate how, when, and to what extent small RNA is involved in this form of non-Mendelian inheritance.

Duckweeds are amazing plants with enormous potential in biotechnology. As you mentioned they are the smallest flowering plants but also the fastest growing – mainly reproducing asexually through budding, they can double in biomass within 72 hours. By enabling genetic modification, duckweed can be used as a bioreactor for producing medicines and other commercially relevant products such as biofuels. Dr. Martienssen’s group has pioneered methods for genetic transformation of duckweed and identified unique aspects of duckweed genomes that suggest an important role for small RNA in controlling species hybridization. I envision incorporating duckweed into my research program through a focus on biotechnology product development and in basic research by utilizing the rapid generation times to ask questions about the longevity of epigenetic memories and the role of meiosis in refreshing and/or resetting memory.

You’ve cultivated a reputation for inspiring Florida State Ph.D. graduates to seek postdoctoral training at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). Could you describe your own journey to CSHL and how you’ve become a mentor and influencer within the community?

I think that the Department of Biological Science at FSU produces some outstanding scientists who know what it takes to be leaders in their fields. I couldn’t be happier to spend my time at CSHL with some of the people who played a key role in my PhD. My journey to CSHL began at the Maize Genetics Conference in St. Louis where I met Dr. Rob Martienssen. I joined Dr. Martienssen’s lab to work on epigenetic inheritance and small RNA biology in plant stress memory. Besides training in a world class research environment, I knew that CSHL would give me access to unlimited learning and networking opportunities from attending CSHL Meetings and Symposia. I also recognized the importance of building my own community and sought to develop relationships that would be the foundation for my career in science, mainly among postdocs. I joined the PDLC (Postdoc Liaison Committee), initially as treasurer and eventually as chair, where I developed programs that promote social interactions and advocated for postdoc needs. Working with the PDLC has allowed me to develop meaningful long-lasting relationships with my colleagues and has had a positive impact in my life. I’ve been lucky to have been part of several great PDLC teams and to have the support of CSHL administration which has enabled us to enact changes that I hope made for a better postdoc experience.

As the Chair of the Postdoctoral Liaison Committee (PDLC) at CSHL, you were instrumental in voicing postdoctoral concerns to the institution's leadership. Could you elaborate on your approach to this role, the specific challenges faced by postdocs, and your vision for fostering a more supportive and enriching environment for postdocs at CSHL?

The purpose of the PDLC is to enhance the postdoc experience at CSHL by providing engaging community events and communicating postdocs issues with lab leadership. My approach as the chair of the PDLC was to focus on developing new ways to connect postdocs through lab sponsored events, and to provide avenues to communicate with lab leaders, through surveys, town halls, and from listening to our colleagues at social events. The high cost of living in NYC and Huntington, along with rising inflation, has been a significant challenge for CSHL postdocs. We communicated these concerns to lab leadership, highlighting the needs of the postdoc community. In response, leadership took meaningful action by substantially increasing salaries and expanding housing options. These efforts have made CSHL postdocs among the highest compensated in the US, demonstrating the importance of building relationships and open communication and reflecting CSHL’s commitment to being a leading institution for postdoctoral training. My vision for fostering a more supportive and enriching environment for postdocs at CSHL would be to develop programs that enhance visibility and career opportunities. For example, obtaining funding for postdoc-focused symposia and networking events could bring together regional postdocs from NYC and surrounding areas with faculty. These events would showcase the outstanding research being conducted by CSHL postdocs and facilitate connections to support future career opportunities and collaborations.

Looking towards the future, how do you envision your career unfolding, and what pivotal role do you see plant science playing in mitigating the challenges of climate change? How would you champion increased investment and attention to this critical area of research?

I think that the control of epigenetic regulation and inheritance is an important area of research in molecular biology and has major potential to revolutionize medicine and agriculture. I envision building a research program that explores epigenetics through the lens of small RNA and develops tools to leverage gene silencing and epigenetic inheritance in plant synthetic biology. The accessibility to many genomes paired with advanced techniques in molecular biology such as gene editing and single cell genomics provides us with an incredible opportunity to understand the structure and function of genomes and identify novel biology that may be important for food security. Plant science has played a key role in developing transformative technologies in global agriculture and will be critical to addressing challenges related to climate change. We will need to harness molecular biology, genetics, and computer science to genetically engineer our current crops and develop novel crops to make our food systems more resilient in future climates. I think the best way to increase investment and attention to this area will be through increasing public awareness of the economic and societal benefits of genetic engineering in agriculture. In addition, strategic partnerships with government, industry, and private donors can fuel innovation in biotechnology and maximize the public investment in plant biology at academic institutions by supporting translational research in agriculture.

A brief note: This will be my last "interview" as part of the Trainee and Tech First Thursdays series at DIAS CSHL . The series will continue with members from the 2025 DIAS CSHL eBoard. It has been a pleasure to continue what Johanna Syrjanen started. See you around!

• RK Narayanan PhD MBA CLP