Danielle Hopkins
Graduate Research Assistant
St Louis,MO
Summary
Passionate PhD student developing a dissertation focused on advancing basic understanding of grapevine biology to apply toward improving grapevine cropping systems and breeding programs. Self-motivated professional with excellent communication, planning and problem solving abilities.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
43
43
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Graduate Research Assistant
Miller Lab, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
12.2023 - Current
- Research focus: advancing basic understanding of grapevine response to drought stress to apply toward the development of more water-efficient plant material and management practices
- Serves as lab vineyard manager, making irrigation, pruning, and disease management decisions
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Saint Louis University, Department of Biology
08.2022 - 12.2023
- Delivered lesson plans and evaluated student performance according to university standards
- Collaborated with staff in curriculum reviews to improve course and program offerings
- Mentored students through office hours and one-on-one communication
Grower Outreach Educator II
Grower Relations Dept, E. & J. Gallo Winery
07.2021 - 07.2022
- Established and executed trials to determine current best practices for vineyard management in the San Joaquin Valley
- Managed interns and facilitated professional development opportunities
- Discovered and published new content, events, and seminars onto Gallo Grower Gateway
- Organized in-person and virtual Grower Outreach events for contract growers and Gallo Vineyards Inc personnel
Grower Outreach Viticulture Technician
Grower Relations Department, E. & J. Gallo Winery
02.2019 - 07.2021
- Assisted in the execution of research trials through in-field data collection
- Aided in the testing and development of new agricultural technologies, including irrigation forecasting and remote sensing systems
- Analyzed trial data and published results for internal staff
Grape Breeding Intern
Viticulture Research Department, E. & J. Gallo Winery
05.2018 - 02.2019
- Assisted Grape Breeder in phenotyping, primarily screening and selecting promising individuals from experimental grape populations to propagate for future testing and potential commercialization
- Managed multiple ongoing experiments and continuous data collection
- Collected and prepared various plant materials for testing (i.e DNA markers, chemical analysis of berries, and microsatellite analysis).
Intern – Research Division
Missouri Botanical Garden, Smithsonian Global Genome Initiative
07.2017 - 05.2018
- Collected plant tissue samples from Missouri Botanical Garden and preserved in liquid nitrogen and silica gel for the Smithsonian’s Global Genome Initiative, a program to collect a broad sample of plant biodiversity for whole genome sequencing
- Translated species collection data into an accessible format within the Missouri Botanical Garden database to promote education of local community members
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Miller Lab, Saint Louis University
10.2015 - 05.2018
- Contributed to digital leaf morphometric analysis of wild-collected grapevines (scanned leaves, applied landmarks in ImageJ)
- Analyzed and performed statistical analysis on digital image data using RStudio (ggplot2 package)
Education
Ph.D. - Biology
Saint Louis University
St. Louis, MO 05.2001 - 05.2027
Bachelor of Science - Biology: Ecology, Evolution, And Conservation
Saint Louis University
St. Louis, MO 05.2001 - 05.2018
Skills
Experience with laboratory equipment and DNA sequencing techniques
Affiliations
Saint Louis University, Department of Biology
3507 Laclede Ave, St. Louis, MO 63103
danielle.hopkins@slu.edu
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
975 N. Warson Rd., Olivette, MO 63132
dhopkins@danforthcenter.org
Botanical Society of America - Student Member
Publications
Migicovsky, Z., Quigley, M.Y., Mullins, J., Ali, T., Swift, J.F., Agasaveeran, A.R., Dougherty, J.D., Grant, B.M., Korkmaz, I., Malpeddi, M.R., McNichol, E.L., Sharp, A.W., Harris, J.L., Hopkins, D.R., Jordan, L.M., Kwasniewski, M.T., Striegler, R.K., Dowtin, A.L., Stotts, S., Cousins, P., Chitwood, D.H. (2022) X-ray imaging of 30 year old wine grape wood reveals cumulative impacts of rootstocks on scion secondary growth and Ravaz index. Horticulture Research. 10(1). DOI:10.1093/hr/uhac226
Non Peer Reviewed Publications
Hopkins, D.R. (2021). Demonstration of Mechanical Leaf Removal Practices in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. Gallo Grower Gateway.
Harris, J.L. & Hopkins, D.R. (2021) Checklist for Successful Vineyard Establishment. Gallo Grower Gateway.
Harris, J.L., Hopkins, D.R., & Striegler, R.K. (2020). Trellis Comparison Trial Fact Sheet. Gallo Grower Gateway.
Presentations
Poster presentation: Developmental influence on grapevine leaf spectral reflectance and spectral indices - North American Grape Breeders Meeting, Fayetteville, AR, October 2023
Oral presentation: Pre-veraison color in black grapes: assessing potential for very early harvest and utilization - E. & J. Gallo Winegrowing Intern Report Out, Modesto, CA, November 2018
Oral presentation: Assessing laboratory investigations using BioBlitz presentations - National Association of Biology Teachers, Professional Development Conference, St. Louis, MO, December 2017
Poster presentation: Morphometric and genetic analysis of North American grapevine Vitis species - 7th Annual St. Louis Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Retreat, St. Louis, MO, September 2017
Service Activities
Biology Department Graduate Affairs Representative (2023 - present)
- Represents department at Graduate Student Association (GSA) meetings and disseminates information to graduate student body
- Serves on GSA symposium committee – establishes agendas and timelines, announces call for abstracts and manages abstract review/selection
Girls on the Run of Southwest Missouri (2012 - present)
- Local council of national non-profit serving girls ages 8-12 that teaches life skills using physical activity and a research-based program curriculum
- Served through many roles including but not limited to: junior coach, race volunteer, running buddy, and SoleMate
- Supported the program through other individual event volunteering or fundraising campaigns (i.e. "give her a voice" campaign)
Watershed Committee of the Ozarks (2016-2017)
- Invasive species management in regional watershed
- Lead guided educational tours for classes and community members about watershed conservation and protection of native species
Timeline
Graduate Research Assistant
Miller Lab, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
12.2023 - Current
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Saint Louis University, Department of Biology
08.2022 - 12.2023
Grower Outreach Educator II
Grower Relations Dept, E. & J. Gallo Winery
07.2021 - 07.2022
Grower Outreach Viticulture Technician
Grower Relations Department, E. & J. Gallo Winery
02.2019 - 07.2021
Grape Breeding Intern
Viticulture Research Department, E. & J. Gallo Winery
05.2018 - 02.2019
Intern – Research Division
Missouri Botanical Garden, Smithsonian Global Genome Initiative
07.2017 - 05.2018
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Miller Lab, Saint Louis University
10.2015 - 05.2018
Ph.D. - Biology
Saint Louis University
05.2001 - 05.2027
Bachelor of Science - Biology: Ecology, Evolution, And Conservation
Saint Louis University
05.2001 - 05.2018
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