Welcome to the Kaplinsky lab
My lab uses molecular genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry to study how plants grow and develop. We primarily use Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system to identify and understand the functions of genes involved in plant development. Arabidopsis is a small and fast (6 weeks from seed to seed!) plant with a fully sequenced genome, robust forward and reverse genetics, and great cell biology in its clear root cells. All of these properties make Arabidopsis a great organism for research at an undergraduate college. Most of the research in the lab is performed by Swarthmore undergraduates who have the opportunity to work independently and to make significant contributions to lab publications.
In addition to research I teach several courses including Cell and Molecular Biology, Plant Biology, Genomics and Systems Biology, and Plant Molecular Genetics.