José Feijó

Teaching

• PBio Journal Club (CBMG 699Y)

Graduate Program Affiliations

• Biological Sciences (BISI): Molecular and Cell Biology (MOCB)
• Biological Sciences (BISI): Physiological Systems (PSYS)

Research Interests

My research interests are focused on cellular biophysics and the evolution of ion and electric signalling phenomena in cell-to-cell communication. I am interested in how these fundamental phenomena evolved to sustain the communication between the female and male plant gametophytes to produce embryos and seeds. This system of communication involves electrical excitation based on ion channel activity with parallels to neurons. They support a unique mechanism of growth in one of the fastest growing cells in nature, the pollen tube, and its capacity of sensing minuscule concentrations of chemical gradients that guide them to the ovule in ways that challenge their interpretation on a physics perspective.

Awards

• Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (2009-present)
• Senior Fulbright Fellow, 1996
• National Forestry Prize (Portugal), 1992
• Prize of Portuguese Society of Biotechnology, 1989

Editorial Activities

• Molecular Plant (Editorial Board)(Oxford Univ.Press) (2011-present)
• Sexual Plant Reproduction (Editorial Board) (Springer-Verlag) (2005-2012)
• Biology Image Library (Editorial Board-Plant Biology/Cell Biology) (2005-present)
• Frontiers in Plant Physiology (Review Editor) (2011-present)
• Frontiers in Plant Biophysics and Modeling (Review Editor)

Education

• Ph.D., Cell Biology, Univ. Lisboa, 1995
• Aggregation, Univ. Univ. Lisboa, 2001

All Publications