Curriculum Vitae

 

Leonor Maria de Fátima Chagas Boavida

Plant Gene Expression Center, UC Berkeley

800 Buchanan St., Albany CA, 94710, USA

+1 (510) 559-5918; Fax +1 (510) 559 5678

lboavida@berkeley.edu

 

EDUCATION

2005  Ph.D., Biology, Cellular Biology, Science Faculty, University of Lisbon, Portugal.

1996  Degree in Biology. Science Faculty, University of Lisbon, Portugal.

GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS

2008 Ministry of Science and Technology Post-Doc grant: “Molecular and functional characterization of cell-surface proteins involved in sperm-egg cell interactions and fusion during fertilization in Arabidopsis thaliana. (SFRH/BPD/43584/2008)(starting January 2009).

2001 Portuguese Gulbenkian Foundation grant for participation in the “Arabidopsis Molecular Genetics” Course. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, USA.

2000   Ministry of Science and Technology Ph.D. grant: “A molecular and biophysical approach to cell-cell interactions during the reproductive process in plants”(SFRH/BD/1128/2000).

1999   European Science Foundation grant for participation in the European Research Conference on Plant Cell Biology and Biotechnological Applications. Rolduc, The Netherlands.

1997-2000  Initiation to Scientific Research (PRAXIS XXI Program) post-graduation fellowship from the Ministry of Science and Technology (GGP XXI/BIC/3746/96).

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

2006-Present Post-doctoral research, “Analysis of male gametophytic transmission defects in Arabidopsis thaliana” Supervisor: Dr. Sheila McCormick

2000-2005 PhD research: “Genetic dissection of cell-to-cell interactions in sexual reproduction in Arabidopsis thaliana” Supervisor:  Prof. José Feijó

2001 Collaborative work with Jean-Emmanuel Faure, École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, Lyon, France. Research and training to identify and characterize Arabidopsis mutants defective in reproductive processes.

1997-2000  Collaboration, within a PRAXIS Program “Study of sexual reproduction biology of cork-oak (Quercus suber L.)”, Supervisor: Prof. José Feijó.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

2006  Teaching assistant in “Molecular Techniques in Plant Science”. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA. Coordinators: Sheila McCormick, Lawrence Hobbie, Hong Ma and Judith Bender.

2004 Responsible for theoretical and practical modules on “Sexual Plant Reproduction” in the Developmental Biology Practical Course for Biology high school teachers “Inspiring Science 2004” Gulbenkian Institute for Science, Oeiras, Portugal.. Coordinator: Ana Paula Coutinho.

2002-2004 Responsible for practical module “Know your plant”, and assistance for modules “Mutagenesis and mutant analysis in Arabidopsis thaliana” and “Genetic mapping in Arabidopsis thaliana” in the EMBO Practical Courses/Gulbenkian Biology Courses: “Plant Development: The Molecular and Cellular Basis” Gulbenkian Institute of Science, Oeiras, Portugal. Coordinator: Prof. José Feijó.

2001 Co-responsible for practical module “Screening for reproductive mutants in Arabidopsis”, Gulbenkian Biology Course: “Plant Development: Molecular and Cellular Basis”, Gulbenkian Institute of Science, Oeiras, Portugal. Coordinator: Prof. José Feijó.

 


PUBLICATIONS

Blanvillain, R. Boavida, L.C., McCormick, S. Ow, D.W. Arabidopsis (2008) EXPORTIN 1 genes are essential for development and function of the gametophytes. Genetics 180: 1493 – 1500.

Wang, H., Boavida, L.C., Ron M., McCormick S. (2008) Truncation of a protein disulfide isomerase, PDIL2-1, causes defects in pollen tube guidance in Arabidopsis thaliana. (in press Plant Cell).

Boavida, L.C. and McCormick, S. (2007) Temperature as a determinant factor for increased and reproducible in vitro pollen germination in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant J. 52: 570-582

Boavida, L.C., Becker, J.D. and Feijó, J.A. (2005) The making of gametes in higher plants. Int. J. Dev. Biol.49: 595-614

Boavida, L.C., Vieira, A.M., Becker, J.D. and Feijó, J.A. (2005) Gametophyte interaction and sexual Reproduction: how plants make a zygote. Int. J. Dev. Biol. 49: 615-642

Becker, J.D., Haury, M., Carneiro, J., Boavida, L.C. and Feijó, J.A. (2003). Transcriptional profiling of Arabidopsis pollen and vegetative tissues reveals unique characteristics of the pollen transcriptome. Plant Physiol. 133: 713-725

Rotman, N., Rozier, F., Boavida, L., Dumas,, C., Berger F., Faure, J-E (2003). Female control of male gamete delivery during fertilization in Arabidopsis thaliana. Curr. Biol. 13: 432-436.

Trindade, H., Boavida, L. C., Borralho, N., Feijó, J. A. (2001). Successful fertilization and seed set from pollination on immature non-dehisced flowers of Eucalyptus globulus. Ann. Bot. 87: 469-475.

Boavida, L. C., Silva, J. P., Feijó, J. A. (2001) Quercus suber L.: II. Crossing intra and interspecific barriers. Sex. Plant Reprod. 14(3): 143-159.

Feijó, J. A., Certal, A. C., Boavida L., Van Nerum, I., Valdiviesso, T., Oliveira, M. M., Broothaerts, W. (1999). Advances on the study of sexual reproduction in cork-tree (Q. suber, L.), chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.), and in Rosaceae (apple and almond) In M. Cresti, G. Cai, A. Muscatelli (eds.) Fertilization in Higher Plants: Molecular and Cytological Aspects”. Springer-Verlag. Berlin, Heidelberg. pp. 377-396.

Boavida, L., Varela, M.C., Feijó, J.A. (1999). Sexual reproduction in the cork oak (Quercus suber L.). I. The progamic phase. Sex. Plant Reprod. 11 (6): 347-353.

PRESENTATIONS

Invited presentation

Boavida LC, Becker JD, Cheung AY, Feijo JA (2004) Spatial and temporal resolution of cell-to-cell interactions during the progamic phase in Arabidopsis thaliana. Frontiers in Sexual Plant Reproduction II Symposium, Albany, USA

Other oral presentations

Leonor C. Boavida, Alice Y. Cheung; Jean–E. Faure and José A. Feijó (2003) It’s all in the kiss: a deep look into living tissues in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Gametophytes: Evolution, Development and Function, Ascona, Switzerland.

Boavida L., J. A. Feijó (1999) Q. suber L.: Da Polinização à Fertilização. XXXIV Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society of Electron Microscopy - Cell Biology, Lisboa, Portugal

Boavida L., J. A. Feijó (1999) Q. suber L.: From pollination to fertilization. European Research Conferences. Plant Cell Biology and Biotechnological Applications, Rolduc, The Netherlands.

Boavida L., J. A. Feijó (1998) Sexual reproduction on cork-oak (Q. suber L.): pollen-pistil interaction in intra and interspecific crosses. XXXIII Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society of Electron Microscopy - Cell Biology, Porto, Portugal.

Boavida L., J. A. Feijó (1997) The sexual reproduction of cork-oak (Q. suber L.).  III Eurocourse on Sexual Plant Reproduction and Biotechnological Applications. Siena, Italy.

Boavida L., J. A. Feijó (1997) Estudo da biologia da reprodução sexual em sobreiro (Q. suber L.). XXXII Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society of Electron Microscopy - Cell Biology, Coimbra, Portugal.

 

Posters

Boavida, L.C., Shuai, B., Yu, H-J, Pagnussat, G.C., Sundaresan, V., McCormick, S. (2008) A collection of Ds insertional mutants affecting male gametophyte development and function in Arabidopsis thaliana. Frontiers in Sexual Plant Reproduction III Symposium, Tucson, USA

Boavida L.C., Becker JD, Cheung AY, Feijo JA (2004) New insights into cell-cell interactions during the reproductive process in Arabidopsis thaliana. Jornadas de Genética, ITQB, Oeiras, Portugal.

Leonor C. Boavida, Alice Y. Cheung, Jean–E. Faure and José A. Feijó (2002) Tracking cell-cell interactions during the reproductive process in Arabidopsis thaliana. XIII International Conference on Arabidopsis Research, Sevilha, Espanha.

J-E. Faure, L. Boavida, A. M. Chaudhury, J. A. Feijó, F. Berger, C. Dumas (2001). Cytological study throughout the early steps of fertilization and identification of corresponding mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana. 2nd International Apomixis Conference, Como, Italy.

Boavida L., J. A. Feijó (2000) Q. suber, L.: Pre and post fertilization mechanisms following intra and interspecific pollinations. XVIth International Congress on Sexual Plant Reproduction,Banff, Canada.

Boavida L. and J. A. Feijó (1998) Sexual reproduction of cork-oak (Q. suber, L.): pollen-pistil interaction in intra and interspecific crosses. XVth International Congress on Sexual Plant Reproduction, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Valdiviesso, T., Certal, A.C., Boavida, L.and  Feijó, J.A.  (1997). Reprodução sexual do castanheiro (Castanea sativa Mill). XXXII Meeting, Portuguese Society of Electron Microscopy - Cell Biology,Coimbra, Portugal.