Associate Professor, Biology
Tami McDonald is a microbiologist and evolutionary geneticist specializing in the evolution of symbioses in fungi, plants and bacteria. She employs techniques from phylogenetics, genetics, genomics, epigenetics and molecular biology to understand nutrient exchange molecules and pathways. Her work focuses on the transport of nitrogen and carbon between symbiotic partners. Since joining the faculty in 2014, Dr. McDonald has welcomed student collaborators to participate in independent projects related to reconstructing the evolutionary history of a protein family responsible for the transport of ammonium across cell membranes as well as other projects relating to nutrient transport and symbiotic life.
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About Tami McDonald, PhD
Tami McDonald is a microbiologist and evolutionary geneticist specializing in the evolution of symbioses in fungi, plants and bacteria. She employs techniques from phylogenetics, genetics, genomics, epigenetics and molecular biology to understand nutrient exchange molecules and pathways. Her work focuses on the transport of nitrogen and carbon between symbiotic partners. Since joining the faculty in 2014, Dr. McDonald has welcomed student collaborators to participate in independent projects related to reconstructing the evolutionary history of a protein family responsible for the transport of ammonium across cell membranes as well as other projects relating to nutrient transport and symbiotic life.
| Present | Associate Professor, St. Catherine University ‐ Biology Department | |
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| 2014 - 2019 | Assistant Professor, St. Catherine University ‐ Biology Department | |
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| 2012 - 2014 | Post-doctoral associate, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | |
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Disciplines
Research Interests
Grants
| 2021 - Present | What makes a lichen? Evolution and ecology of fungal-algal symbioses across marine and freshwater environments |
| Wellcome Sanger Institute | |
| Aquatic Symbiosis Genomes Project | |
| Role: Co-PI | |
| Colleague(s): Nick Talbot, Klara Scharnagl, Daniel Stanton, Claudia Colesia, Sergio Perez Ortega, Tami McDonald, Peter Nelsen | |
| 2018 - Present | Acquisition of a fluorescence microscope to grow research and training of women from diverse multicultural and economic backgrounds at St. Catherine University |
| NSF - DBI-1827514 | |
| NSF Major Research Instrumentation Grant | |
| Role: Co-PI | |
| Colleague(s): Paula Furey, Andrea Kalis, Kathleen Tweeten | |
| $118,176 | |
| 2019 - 2020 | Course Development: Fungal Biology and Ecology |
| St. Catherine University | |
| Curriculum Development Grant | |
| Role: PI | |
| 2019 - 2020 | Evolution of Carbon Transport in Lichens (with Margaret Piecz) |
| 3M / St. Catherine University | |
| 3M STEM Grant | |
| Role: PI | |
| 2019 - 2019 | Localization of an ammonium transporter protein within Marchantia polymorpha, a liverwort, utilizing a YFP fusion protein |
| 3M / St Catherine University | |
| 3M STEM Grant | |
| Role: PI | |
| 2017 - 2018 | Comparative transcriptomics to investigate carbon and nitrogen exchange in the lichen symbiosis |
| St. Catherine University | |
| APDC | |
| Role: PI | |
| $6,325 | |
| 2017 - 2017 | Project: Cloning and Electrophysiology of Ammonium Transporters from Marchantia and Anabaena |
| 3M / St. Catherine University | |
| 3M STEM Grant | |
| Role: PI | |
| 2016 - 2017 | Characterization of Ammonium Transporters from the Model Plant Marchantia |
| 3M / St. Catherine University | |
| 3M STEM grant | |
| Role: PI | |
| 2015 - 2016 | Investigating the evolutionary history of ammonium transport genes |
| St. Catherine University | |
| APDC | |
| Role: PI | |
| $7,500 |
Professional Service and Affiliations
| 2018 - Present | University Assessment Committee, St. Catherine University | 2015 - Present | Beta Beta Beta Biology Honor Society (Gamma Alpha Chapter), Co-chair, St. Catherine University | 2015 - Present | Department Assessment Co-Lead, St. Catherine University, Department of Biology | 2015 - 2018 | Membership Committee, Mycological Society of America |
Honors and Awards
- International Association of Lichenology. (2014). Mason Hale Dissertation award, presented once every three years in an international competition for the best Ph.D. dissertation concerning lichens.
Courses
- Contemporary Biology: Epigenetics
- Fungal Biology and Ecology
- Biology of Microorganisms
- Senior Seminar
- Introduction to Microbiology
- Foundations of Biology I
| 2011 | Ph.D., Biology, Duke University | |
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| 2000 | Master of Science, Plant Biology, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | |
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