A. Mark Settles

Branch/Division: Bioengineering

Affiliation: NASA Ames Space Biosciences Bioengineering Branch

Phone (desk): 650-604-9493

Email: andrew.m.settles@nasa.gov

Professional Biography

Jan 2021 – present    
Life Support Studies AST (Reseadrch Investigator), Bioengineering Branch, NASA Ames Research Center

Oct 2020 – Jan 2021  
National Science Foundation Program Director, Plant Genome Research Program, Division of Integrative Organismal Systems

July 2019 – Jan 2021  
University of Florida Term Professor

Apr 2017 – June 2017
Test subject, NASA Human Exploration Research Analog, Johnson Space Center

Aug 2016        
Visiting Professor, Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil

May 2016 – Apr 2019
University of Florida Research Foundation Professor

Jul 2013 – Jan 2021    
Vasil-Monsanto Professor of Plant Cell and Molecular Biology, Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida

Oct 2014        
Visiting Professor, Shandong University, Jinan, China

Oct 2012        
Visiting Professor, Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil

Jul 2011 – June 2014 
Director, Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (PMCB) Program, University of Florida

Jul 2009 – June 2011 
Graduate Coordinator, Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (PMCB) Program, University of Florida

Jul 2007 – June 2013 
Vasil-Monsanto Associate Professor of Plant Cell and Molecular Biology
Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida

Dec 2000 – June 2007
Vasil-Monsanto Assistant Professor of Plant Cell and Molecular Biology
Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida

March 1999 – Dec 2000         
Post-doctoral Research Associate, University of Florida

Dec 1998 – Feb 1999 
Post-doctoral Fellow, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Aug 1994 – Dec 1998 
Graduate Research Assistant, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Aug 1993 – Aug 1994 
NIH Pre-doctoral Trainee, SUNY at Stony Brook

Current Roles and Responsibilities

• Principal Investigator, LEIA: Lunar Explorer Instrument for space biology Applications (https://science.nasa.gov/mission/leia/)
• Principal Investigator, Space Algae-2 (https://taskbook.nasaprs.com/tbp/index.cfm?action=public_query_taskbook_content&TASKID=15561)
• Genomics Lead, Space Synthetic Biology Project (https://www.nasa.gov/space-synthetic-biology-synbio/)
• Co-Investigator, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Designed Adhesion Project (https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/armd/tacp/cas/)

Education

• Ph.D. in Genetics, Stony Brook University, Dec 1998
• Honors B.A. in Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, May 1993. Mathematics Minor, Honors Research Thesis

Research Interests

Dr. Settles is a geneticist applying synthetic biology to aerospace technology. His program focuses on fundamental research to understand the genetic and cellular impacts of spaceflight environmental stressors on microbial bioproduction. His research program is also developing biological technologies that can be applied to in situ resource utilization, aerospace manufacturing, and food production.

Dr. Settles has expertise in plant and microbial genetics, breeding, biotechnology, multi-omics, cell/developmental biology, and non-destructive phenotyping including computer vision and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy.

Media

• https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-new-instruments-for-priority-artemis-science-on-moon/
• https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/biological-physical-sciences/nasa-selects-three-space-biology-proposals-to-prepare-for-future-research-on-the-surface-of-the-moon/
• https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/goodbye-hera-hello-sleep-nasas-hera-xiii-crew-returns-home-to-slumber/
• https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/researchers-to-discuss-science-launching-on-next-resupply-mission-to-space-station/
• https://southeastagnet.com/2018/06/13/uf-ifas-experiment-algae-space/
• https://www.growingproduce.com/vegetables/sweet-corn/scientists-find-secrets-super-sweet-corn/
• https://theconversation.com/how-a-kernel-of-corn-may-yield-answers-into-some-cancers-73816

Links to Professional Profiles

• https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5846-0996
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-mark-settles-710ab611/
• https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=SvMvghkAAAAJ&hl=en
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/a.%20mark.settles.1/bibliography/public/

Patents

• Settles A.M., Gustin J.L. Haploid seed classification using single seed near-infrared spectroscopy. U.S. Patent 10,690,592 filed March 14, 2017 – issued June 23, 2020.
• Settles A.M., Ribeiro C. Mitigation of maize heat stress with recombinant 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. U.S. Patent US11761012B2 filed November 5, 2018 – issued September 19, 2023.

Publications

1. Soundararajan M, Matthew B. Paddock MB, Dougherty M, Jones HW, Hogan JA, Donovan FM, Galazka JG, Settles AM. (2023) Theoretical design of a space bioprocessing system to produce recombinant proteins. npj Microgravity. 9(1):78. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-023-00324-w
2. Dai D, Mudunkothge JS, Galli M, Char SN, Davenport R, Zhou X, Gustin JL, Spielbauer G, Zhang J, Barbazuk WB, Yang B, Gallavotti A, Settles AM. (2022) Paternal imprinting of dosage-effect defective1 contributes to seed weight xenia in maize. Nature Communications. 13:5366. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33055-9
3. Siebert AE, Corll J, Gronevelt JP, Levine L, Hobbs LM, Kenney C, Powell CLE, Battistuzzi FU, Davenport R, Settles AM, Barbazuk WB, Westrick RJ, Madlambayan GJ, Lal S. (2022) Genetic analysis of human RNA binding motif protein 48 (RBM48) reveals an essential role in U12-type intron splicing, Genetics, iyac129, PubMed PMID: 36040194. https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/iyac129
4. Ball N, Kagawa H, Hindupur A, Kostakis A, Gresser A, Sharif S, Villanueva A.G., Donovan F., Settles A.M., Hogan J. (2021) BioNutrients-2: Improvements to the BioNutrients-1 Nutrient Production System. Intl Conf Env Sys. ICES-2021-331. https://hdl.handle.net/2346/87260
5. Reynolds KA, Rosa-Molinar E, Ward RE, Zhang H, Urbanowicz BR, Settles AM. (2022) Accelerating biological insight for understudied genes. Integr Comp Biol. 61(6):2233-2243. PMID: 33970251. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icab029
6. Hacisalihoglu G, Beisel NS, Settles AM. Characterization of pea seed nutritional value within a diverse population of Pisum sativum. PLoS One. 2021;16(11):e0259565. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8568279. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259565
7. Hu Y, Colantonio V, Müller BSF, Leach KA, Nanni A, Finegan C, Wang B, Baseggio M, Newton CJ, Juhl EM, Hislop L, Gonzalez JM, Rios EF, Hannah LC, Swarts K, Gore MA, Hennen-Bierwagen TA, Myers AM, Settles AM, Tracy WF, Resende MFR Jr. (2021) Genome assembly and population genomic analysis provide insights into the evolution of modern sweet corn. Nature Communications. 12:1227. https://doi/10.1038/s41467-021-21380-4.
8. Ribeiro C., Hennen-Bierwagen T., Myers A., Cline K., Settles A.M. (2020) Engineering 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase improves grain yield in heat-stressed maize. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 117:33177-33185. https://doi/10.1073/pnas.2010179117.
9. Gustin JL, Frei UK, Baier J, Armstrong P, Lübberstedt T, Settles A. (2020) Classification approaches for sorting maize (Zea mays subsp. mays) haploids using single‐kernel near‐infrared spectroscopy. Plant Breeding. 139:1103-1112. https://doi/10.1111/pbr.12857.
10. Hacisalihoglu G, Freeman J, Armstrong PR, Seabourn BW, Porter LD, Settles AM, Gustin JL. (2020) Protein, weight, and oil prediction by single-seed near-infrared spectroscopy for selection of seed quality and yield traits in pea (Pisum sativum). J Sci Food Agric. 100:3488-3497. (https://doi/10.1002/jsfa.10389).
11. Zhang J, Müller BSF, Tyre KN, Hersh HL, Bai F, Hu Y, Resende MFR Jr, Rathinasabapathi B, Settles AM. (2020) Competitive growth assay of mutagenized Chlamydomonas reinhardtii compatible with the International Space Station Veggie plant growth chamber. Front Plant Sci. 11:631. (https://doi/10.3389/fpls.2020.00631).
12. Settles A.M. (2020) EMS mutagenesis of maize pollen. Methods Mol Biol. 2122:25-33. (https://doi/10.1007/978-1-0716-0342-0_3).
13. Gillmor C.S., Settles A.M., Lukowitz W. (2020) Genetic screens to target embryo and endosperm pathways in Arabidopsis and maize. Methods Mol Biol. 2122:3-14. (https://doi/10.1007/978-1-0716-0342-0_1).
14. Zhang J., Wu S., Boehlein S.K., McCarty D.R., Myers A., Settles A.M. (2019) Maize defective kernel5 (dek5) is homologous to bacterial TamB and required for chloroplast envelope biogenesis. J. Cell Biol., 218(8):2638-2658. (https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201807166).
15. Boehlein S., Liu P., Webster A., Ribeiro C., Suzuki M., Wu S., Guan J.C., Stewart J., Tracy W., Settles A.M., McCarty D., Koch K., Hannah L.C., Hennen-Bierwagen T., Myers A. (2019) Effects of long-term exposure to elevated temperature on Zea mays endosperm development during grain fill. Plant J., 99(1):23-40. (https://doi/10.1111/tpj.14283).