Home Department: Bioengineering
Mentor: Kabir Peay (Biology and Earth Systems Science)

"Quantitative Decoding of Fungal Nutrient Sensing to Map Microenvironmental Nutrient States"

Fungi act as highly sensitive interfaces with their environment, continuously sampling nutrients as they grow through soil. This project seeks to decode how fungi perceive local nitrogen and phosphate availability by measuring changes in naturally nutrient-responsive genes. Filamentous fungi will be grown across controlled nutrient gradients, and gene expression will be measured at defined spatial positions. These spatial expression profiles will be integrated into a quantitative nutrient-state index, enabling high-resolution mapping of nutrient microenvironments. This work explores the use of fungi as living sensors of local nutrient conditions, offering a practical way to study soil health in natural and agricultural systems.