Dr. Maryam Rahmati Ishka
Assistant Professor Office: 3076 - Life SciencesPhone: 217-581-3126
Email: mrahmatiishka@eiu.edu
INTRODUCTION
Dr. Ishka is a plant molecular biologist who is trained and passionate about understanding how plants perceive and respond to developmental and environmental cues to adjust their growth and development.
Dr. Ishka earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Plant Science from Urmia and Tarbiat Modares University, respectively, in Iran. During her master's degree, Dr. Ishka investigated the impacts of heavy metals on the antioxidant capacity of the tea plant through cell and hydroponic culture. She then served as a lecturer in several private and national universities before coming to the United States. She joined Dr. Jeff Harper's lab at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) as a research assistant, followed by entering graduate school at UNR, where she received her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, investigated calcium signaling in pollen development in the model plant Arabidopsis. After graduation, she joined Dr. Olena Vatamaniuk's Lab at Cornell University as a postdoctoral scholar, where she established the role of micronutrient copper in plant growth and development in Arabidopsis and the model grass, Brachypodium. She then moved on to work with Dr. Magda Julkowska at Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) to challenge her developmental skills by working on the belowground part of the plants; ROOT, where she identified genes critical for the maintenance of root development under salt stress in Arabidopsis and tomato. Dr. Ishka joined the faculty team at 海角大神 in the Department of Biological Sciences in 2025. Her research focus is on decoding the genetic elements of plant growth and development across all developmental scales in response to internal and external cues. The overarching objective of Dr. Ishka’s research is to understand, identify, and translate the genetic mechanisms of plants' plasticity.
Education & Training
B.S., Plant Science, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran (2001)
M.S., Plant Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran (2005)
Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), Reno, NV, USA (2015)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Cornell University and Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY (2017-2025)
During my postdoctoral research, I demonstrated the essential role of micronutrient copper in the reproductive development of model plants Arabidopsis and Brachypodium as well as utilized omics approaches to identify genes potentially linked to the lateral root development in Arabidopsis and tomato under salt stress.
Frequently Taught Courses
BIO 3200: Genetics (4 credits)
Research & Creative Interests
My lab focuses on uncovering and translating the genetic mechanisms that drive plant plasticity in response to both internal and external signals.
We will take a multidisciplinary approach, combining forward and reverse genetics, molecular biology methods such as gene expression analysis, cloning, PCR, microscopy, histology, phenotyping, and omics technologies to investigate plant development and stress biology across all stages, from roots to shoots, flowers, and reproduction. We will work with model plants such as Arabidopsis and tomato, as well as non-model systems to drive our discoveries.
Students who join lab projects will gain hands-on experience in becoming independent scientists—taking their work from project design and experimental setup through plant phenotyping, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and ultimately scientific writing. Throughout this process, students will receive close mentorship through direct supervision and weekly meetings, along with guidance on scholarship applications and professional development opportunities that will support their future career paths.
We welcome anyone who is passionate and curious about plants! If you’re excited to explore how plants adapt and thrive, reach out to me to discuss potential research opportunities.
Conference Presentations
Maryam presented at the PB2025 Conference in Milwaukee, WI (July 26–30) and had a great time reconnecting with friends and colleagues!
Latest News
July 2, 2025: Arrived at Eastern and were warmly welcomed by Budika.
July 10, 2025: Maryam planted seeds for the first time in the Thut Greenhouse—let the experiments begin!
July–August 2025: Lab setup! Huge thanks to all colleagues in the department for their support during the transition. Special appreciation to my wonderful family:
- Mohammad, for replacing and installing lights in growth chambers and racks, organizing chemical inventory, and handling heavy work.
- Diana, for printing and labeling the shelves.
- Aran, for organizing the shelves.
- Danial, for modifying the label maker (adding stars), even though we couldn’t revert it back.
July 26–30, 2025: Maryam traveled to Milwaukee for PB2025 conference and gave a talk.