Christos Dimos

Bio

I have always been fascinated with micro and molecular biology. As an undergraduate at Sacred Heart University, I studied the role the HS8A gene played in stress response in a soil amoeba called Dictyostelium discodeum. My Ph.D. research at The University of Rhode Island focused on discovering the function of the Cellulose Synthase-Like D (CSLDs) gene family in the moss Physcomitrella patens by performing targeted gene knockout, RNAi global silencing, and RT-qPCR studies. I also completed a comprehensive polysaccharide labeling study using various monoclonal antibodies and Carbohydrate Binding Modules (CBMs). While at the University of Rhode Island, I gained extensive teaching experience as a Teaching Assistant. I brought my passion for teaching to Johnson & Wales University, teaching General Biology-Cellular and Microbiology. I am currently developing undergraduate research projects focused on plant-pathogen interactions using the moss P. patens.

Areas of Expertise

• My PhD involved investigating the function of the Cellulose Synthase Like-D (CSLD) gene family in the moss Physcomitrella patens.
• I have experience with the following experimental techniques: Northern and Southern Blots, affinity cytochemistry, florescent microscopy, morphometric analysis, transient RNAi systems, moss transformation, vector design and construction, and Reverse Transcriptase quantitative PCR.

Sample Courses

• SCI1015: Introduction to Life Science
• SCI1915: Honors Life Science
• SCI2005: Introduction to Botany
• SCI2045: General and Organic Chemistry
• SCI3010: Environmental Science
• SCI3040: Biochemistry
• SCI4060: Food Microbiology
• SCI4061: Food Microbiology Laboratory

Publications

• Roberts, AW, Budziszek, MJ, Dimos, C., Goss, CA, Lai, V. 2011. “Knocking Out the Wall: Protocols or Gene Targeting in Physcomitrella patens,” Zoë A. Popper (ed.), “The Plant Cell Wall: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology,” vol. 715, Springer, Berlin (in press).