Louisiana State University Department of Biological Sciences
DowellResearch Group

Dowell Research Group

Life in the lab

We ask questions about plants, fungi, and the chemistry that connects them. Along the way, we grow experiments, share ideas, learn from one another, and make time for good company.

In the field

Lab members standing together in a planted field.
Working together in the field, June 2025.
Researchers working among field rows under the evening sun.
An evening in the field, June 2025.
Lab members working along marked rows in a field.
Fieldwork takes a team, June 2025.
Three lab members smiling in a field at sunset.
A pause together during fieldwork, June 2025.
A group selfie taken during fieldwork.
The field crew, June 2025.

At the bench

Plant growth room with shelves and lighting.
Preparing space for plants, May 2025.
Stacks of culture plates and containers on a laboratory bench.
Preparing cultures for experiments, May 2025.
A tray of culture containers beneath laboratory pipettes.
A busy day of culture preparation, May 2025.
A lab member wearing gloves and working at a laboratory cabinet.
Hands-on work at the bench, June 2025.
Labeled pots of seedlings on an illuminated growing shelf.
Plants growing under controlled conditions, June 2025.
Clean greenhouse benches beneath a glass roof.
Greenhouse space ready for the next round of work, August 2025.
A researcher wearing gloves tending potted sunflower plants.
Working with sunflowers in the greenhouse, October 2025.
A researcher standing among experimental plants in a greenhouse.
Plant experiments in the greenhouse, October 2025.
A demonstration beside the newly installed Agilent GC–MS and GERSTEL autosampler, with lab members taking notes.
Installation of the lab’s Agilent GC–MS with GERSTEL autosampler, thermal desorption unit, and cryotrapping, March 5, 2025.

Sharing science

A researcher smiling at a lectern beside her research slides.
Presenting at Botany 2025.
A researcher presenting diagrams of plant and microbial interactions.
Plant–microbe questions on the conference stage, Botany 2025.
Peter at a lectern beside a slide showing fungal cultures and strawberries.
Peter shares his research at Botany 2025.
A speaker presenting a plant-trait diagram at a conference.
Discussing plant traits at Botany 2025.
Five lab members posing in front of an LSU backdrop.
The group at the Plant Science Symposium, December 2024.
Lab members standing together beside purple and gold holiday trees.
Together at the Plant Science Symposium, December 2024.
A student smiling beside her scientific poster.
Sharing undergraduate research, April 2025.
Two researchers standing together in front of a student poster.
Celebrating student research, April 2025.
Researchers discussing a scientific poster in an exhibition hall.
A poster starts a conversation, April 2025.
A student standing in front of a poster with fungal culture images.
Presenting fungal research, April 2025.
A group selfie in front of a student research poster.
Showing up for one another on poster day, April 2025.
Two lab members smiling beside a research poster.
Sharing a proud research moment, April 2025.
Evelin Reyes holding her award certificate at the Plant Sciences Symposium.
Evelin celebrates her lightning-talk award, November 2025.
Five students wearing presenter medals at a poster exhibition.
Student researchers at Discover Day, April 2026.
Students and mentors smiling together at Discover Day.
Supporting our undergraduate researchers, April 2026.
A student and mentor beside a poster about plant–pathogen interactions.
Plant–pathogen research on display, April 2026.
Lori Pradhan speaking at the Asilomar lectern beside the title slide of her Botrytis presentation.
Lori Pradhan presents “Evolutionary Patterns of a Plant-Pathogenic Fungus Botrytis” at Fungal Genetics 2026.
Lori presenting a slide comparing morphology-based and sequence-based approaches to Botrytis taxonomy.
Discussing the changing taxonomy of Botrytis during Lori’s Fungal Genetics presentation.
A lab member presenting a fungal network diagram and morphological traits at a conference lectern.
Discussing fungal morphology and pathogen traits at Botany 2025 in Palm Springs.
A lab member presenting a network diagram linking nutritional, chemical, and physiological traits.
Connecting nutritional, chemical, and physiological traits at Botany 2025.
A lab member speaking beside a slide introducing Botrytis plant pathogens.
Introducing Botrytis biology at Botany 2025.
A lab member explaining an experimental design with fungal cultures, a microplate, and resazurin chemistry.
Sharing experimental approaches to fungal physiology at Botany 2025.

Beyond the bench

The group posing outdoors after a lab dinner.
Dinner together during Jake Francis’s visit, November 2024.
Lab members smiling around a table with food and gifts.
A December gathering around the table, 2025.
Lab members gathered around a shared table.
Taking time together at the end of the semester, December 2025.
A lab member standing with arms outstretched among snow-covered trees.
Enjoying a snow day, January 2025.
A path beneath trees covered in snow.
A snowy change of scenery, January 2025.
A cat looking out over a snow-covered yard.
A four-legged snow-day observer, January 2025.
Justin celebrating in the laboratory with both arms raised.
Celebrating Justin’s first manuscript submission, November 2025.
Jordan Dowell smiling beside a dog during heavy snowfall.
Jordan Dowell enjoying the snow with a four-legged companion.

Photographs from the Dowell lab archive, shared by members of our group. Captions use the event or photo-sharing month.

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