Dr. Grace Sirju-Charran

Senior Lecturer (Plant Biochemistry)

Subject Leader in Biochemistry

staff listing

Contact Information

Department of Life Sciences
The University of The West Indies
St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

Location:
Room 219, Natural Sciences Building, Old Wing

Tel: 1(868) 662-2002 Ext.3110
Fax: 1(868) 663-9686

Send an Email

Education:

• Ph.D. University of the West Indies (1978)
• BSc. (First Class Hons. in Chem. and Botany), UW I ( 1971)

Post-Doctoral and Fellowship Studies

Post-Doc:

• University of East Anglia, UK;
• Scarborough College, University of Toronto

Fellowships:

• bpTT Professional Fellowship
• Univ. of Nottingham (ACU Shell Fellowship in Biotechnology)
• University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (UWI/IDB)
• Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, Netherlands (UWI/ISS)
• University of Minnesota, USA (Snr. Fulbright )

Research Interests:

• Biochemical and Molecular Studies on Tuberisation in Tropical Root Crops (sweet potato; yam bean; cassava
• Biochemical and Molecular Studies on Abscission of reproductive structures in pigeon pea and yam bean.
• Gender and Science –Historical, Philosophical and Pedagogical Issues

Current Graduate Students:

• Marlun Jitta (PhD.) – Carbohydrate metabolism in yam bean tubers
• Judy Rouse-Miller (PhD) – Abscission of  leaves and reproductive structures in pigeon pea.

On-going Research Project:

• Biochemical and Molecular Studies on the Tuberisation of tropical tuber crops and Abscission of Reproductive structures in tropical legumes
• Gender and Science: Gendered Relationship between People and the Environment; Bioethical issues.

Recent Publications:

• Motilal, L. Sirju-Charran G., and Sreenivasan, T.N. (2003) Effect of Crinipellis perniciosa on abscission of cacao cotyledons, reserve mobilization and dry matter partitioning. Journal of Phytopathology 151, 546-552
• Sirju-Charran G, (2001) Cassava Stem Tubers: A model system for investigating the role of Light in Tuberisation. CBN-V Book of Abstracts, Donald Danforth Plant Science Centre, st. Louis, Missouri Nov 4-9, 2001 S3-14
• Suhando S; Hughes, J., Brown K.; Sirju-Charran G.; Hughes, M.A. (2000) Characterisation of an elongation factor-1 α gene from cassava (manihot esculenta Crantz): A new Promoter for Biotechnology. Proceedings IV International scientific Meeting, Cassava Biotechnology Network Nov. 03-07, 1998 pp 572-581
• Sirju-Charran G. (1997). Biotechnology; For Better For worse, For Richer For Poorer?’ In Readings in Gender, Science and Technology Eds. Barbara Carby and Vilma McClenan, Kingston, Jamaica, UWI. 146-151
• Gomes A.V, G. Sirju-Charran and J.A. Barnes (1997). Isolation and characterization of storage proteins of yam bean tubers. Phytochemistry 46, 185-193

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