Research Experience:

 

2007-current   Consultant (Microarray data analyst): Danisco US Inc., Genencor Division

                        -Processed RNA, hybridized and stained Affymetrix genechips.

                        -Handled and analyzed array data with an emphasis on physiological                                                              interpretation.

 

2003-current   Ph.D. Graduate student: Department of Botany and Microbiology,                                                              University of Oklahoma, Norman

                        -Designed and conducted experiments to investigate gene expression                                                            controlled by ppGpp under precise conditions of carbon and

                            amino acid starvation.

                        -Worked with membrane, glass-slide, and Affymetrix arrays for global                                                            gene expression studies.

                        -Used confocal/fluorescent microscopy to examine cellular phenotypes                                                         associated with ppGpp deficiency.

                        -Employed wide range of molecular techniques including: quantitative                                                            fluorescence monitoring, HPLC, phenotype microarray analysis,

                            western blotting, DNA and RNA extraction, cloning, mutant construction, PCR,                                         electrophoresis, etc. 

                        -Supervised work of 8 undergraduate students in the course of                                                                       Honors Research/Thesis.

 

2001-2002       Laboratory Technician: Dept. of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma                                                            Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City

                        -Conducted mammalian PCR in screening mice for mutations involved in                                                      macular degeneration.

                        -Managed cross-breeding for the production of desired genotypes in a                                                            large mouse colony.

 

Publications:

Traxler MF, Summers SM, Nguyen HT, Zacharia VM, Hightower GA, Smith JT, Conway T.  2008.  The global, ppGpp-mediated stringent response to amino acid starvation in Escherichia coli.  Mol Microbiol. 68(5):1128-48.

Traxler MF, Chang DE, and Conway T.  2006.  Guanosine 3',5'-bispyrophosphate coordinates global gene expression during glucose-lactose diauxie in Escherichia coli.  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 103(7):2374-9.

 

Teaching Experience:

2008 (Spring) Teaching Assistant: Ecology and Pathogenic Microbiology             

Laboratory, Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Oklahoma, Norman

                        -Managed 20 undergraduate students in the intestinal colonization of          

                                    mice with non-pathogenic strains of E. coli.

2006 (Fall)       Instructor: Molecular Biology, Department of Botany and Microbiology,     

                        University of Oklahoma, Norman

                        -Prepared and gave lectures spanning a wide range of topics in molecular biology with an                             emphasis on bacterial chromosome replication, translation, transcription, and genetic                             regulation.

                        -Managed a class of ~160 undergraduate and 10 graduate students, including preparation                             and administration of exams and quizzes.

 

2000-2002       Undergraduate Teaching Assistant: Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy                       Laboratory, Dept. of Zoology, University of  Oklahoma, Norman

                        -Aided undergraduate students in dissection of cats, sharks, lampreys,                                           and salamanders, and performed demo dissections.


Professional Honors and Awards:

2008-2009       Who’s Who among Young Professionals and Executives

2007                George and Cleo Cross Scholarship winner, Department of Botany and

                                    Microbiology, University of Oklahoma, Norman

2006-2007       Who’s Who among Young Professionals and Executives

2005                Student Travel Award:  Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages Meeting

2005-2006              Who’s Who among Young Professionals and Executives


Research Interests:

-Spatial and temporal organization of regulatory networks in bacterial systems.

-Regulation and control of bacterial development and multicellularity.

-Division of labor and cell-cell communication within biofilms.

-Basic coordination of macromolecular synthesis in response to dynamic environmental  

            conditions.  

 

Meeting Abstracts:

Matthew F. Traxler, Vineetha M. Zacharia, Stafford Marquardt, Sarah E. Stark, Huyen-Tran Nguyen, Sean, M. Summers, and Tyrrell Conway. 2008.  Architecture of the   stringent response.  Gordon Research Conference: Microbial Stress Responses, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA (upcoming)

  

Matthew F. Traxler, Huyen-Tran Nguyen, Sean M. Summers, and Tyrrell Conway. 2007. Mutational analysis of the global stringent response in Eshcerichia coli.  Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Toronto, Canada. Abstract #K-013

 

 

Matthew F. Traxler, Sean M. Summers, Huyen-Tran Nguyen, and Tyrrell Conway. 2007.  Global Transcriptional Regulation of Metabolic Processes by ppGpp in    Escherichia coli.  Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Toronto, Canada. Abstract #K-115

 

Matthew F. Traxler, Huyen-Tran Nguyen, Sean M. Summers, and Tyrrell Conway. 2006.  Critical Role of guanosine 3',5'-bispyrophosphate in metabolic adaptation of Escherichia coli during amino acid starvation.  Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages Meeting.  Cold Spring Harbor. (Selected for oral presentation)  

 

Matthew F. Traxler, Tyrrell Conway.  2005.  Conceptual model of glucose-lactose diauxie and ppGpp-dependent growth control in Escherichia coli.  Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages Meeting. University of Wisconsin-Madison.  (Selected for oral presentation) 

 

Matthew F. Traxler, Dong Eun Chang, and Tyrrell Conway.  2005.  Normal induction of    the Crp and RpoS regulons during glucose-lactose diauxie is RelA-dependent in Escherichia coli.  Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Atlanta, GA, Abstract #K-058

 

Dong Eun Chang, Matthew F Traxler, Darren Smalley, and Tyrrell Conway.  2004.  Gene expression profile of Escherichia coli rpoS mutant during glucose-lactose diauxie. Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, New Orleans, LA, Abstract #K-129