Bio
April Armes joined the Biological and Environmental Systems Science Directorate at ORNL as a Postdoctoral Researcher in February 2023. Prior to her appointment at ORNL, April worked on developing phytosensors that respond to ecological and biological threats at the Center for Agricultural Synthetic Biology at UTIA. In 2021, April received her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her dissertation research explored microbial interactions within a microbial community. Currently, her research at ORNL focuses on microbially produced secondary metabolites' impact on Eastern Cottonwood. Beyond her research, April is committed to science communication and outreach. She previously served as Outreach Chair for the ORNL Postdoctoral Association (ORPA). April is actively involved in nonprofit organizations like 500 Women Scientists and the Society for Creative Anachronism where she combine her love of science and the middle ages into the art of brewing as featured here. She also participates in events such as Dragoncon and education initiatives at UTK and East Tennessee Freedom schools.
Awards
- Scipreneur Challenge Pitch Competition Winner (2024)
- ORPA Symposium People’s Choice Award - Best Talk (2024)
- Department of Microbiology at The University of Tennessee's Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award (2020)
Education
Ph.D. in Microbiology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (2021)
B.Sc. in Biology, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (2014)
Professional Affiliations
- National Postdoc Association (2024 - Present)
- KY-TN Branch American Society for Microbiology (2024 - Present)
- Oak Ridge Postdoctoral Association (2022 - Present)
- American Society for Microbiology (2019 - Present)
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (2018 - 2021)
- 500 Women Scientists (2016 - 2018)
Other Publications
Armes, A. C. Walton, J. L., Buchan, A. (2022). Quorum Sensing and Antimicrobial Production Orchestrate Biofilm Dynamics in Multispecies Bacterial Communities. mSpectrum. doi: https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02615-22
Armes, A. C. and Buchan, A. (2021). Cyclic di-GMP is integrated into a hierarchal quorum sensing network regulating antimicrobial production and biofilm formation in Roseobacter clade member Rhodobacterales strain Y4I. Frontiers in Marine Science. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.681551
Buchan, A., Mitchell, A., Cude, W.N. and Campagna, S. (2016). Acyl-Homoserine Lactone-Based Quorum Sensing in Members of the Marine Bacterial Roseobacter Clade: Complex Cell-to-Cell Communication Controls Multiple Physiologies. In Stress and Environmental Regulation of Gene Expression and Adaptation in Bacteria, F.J. de Bruijn (Ed.). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119004813.ch19
Wilhelm SW, Bird JT, Bonifer KS, Calfee BC, Chen T, Coy SR, Gainer PJ, Gann ER, Heatherly HT, Lee J, Liang X, Liu J, Armes AC, Moniruzzaman M, Rice JH, Stough JM, Tams RN, Williams EP, LeCleir GR. (2017). A Student's Guide to Giant Viruses Infecting Small Eukaryotes: From Acanthamoeba to Zooxanthellae. Viruses. 9(3), 46. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/v9030046