Vinita Sharma

I’m a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Dept. of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University, advancing functional plant biology through starch genetics and protein-level mechanisms. My PhD work focused on “Characterization of wheat Granule-Bound Starch Synthase I novel alleles and GBSSI-PTST1 interaction affecting amylose biosynthesis,” and my current research builds on that foundation with high-resolution molecular tools.

I combine confocal imaging, protein interaction assays (Bimolecular Fluorescent complementation, Split Luciferase, Co-IP), and plant transformation/tissue culture to connect genotype to phenotype in crops like Arabidopsis and bread wheat. I also use CRISPR-Cas9, over-expression, genetic complementation, RNAi, and sequencing workflows (Sanger, NGS, Nanopore) alongside bioinformatics (Galaxy, BLAST, ClustalW) to identify causal mutations and validate function—supported by publications and manuscripts in progress.