Professor
Office Location
380 National Soybean Research Center, MC-637
1101 West Peabody Drive
Urbana, Illinois 61801
Phone: 217-244-1115
Email: dbriskin@uiuc.edu
Education
Ph.D., Plant Physiology (Biochemistry), University of California at Riverside, 1981
B.S., Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, 1977
Areas of Expertise
Plant Biology, Plant Products
Faculty member since 1985
How I got interested in this field
I became interested in plant biology as an undergraduate student at the University of Southern California after taking a general botany course. While I originally signed up for the course because I needed additional credit hours in biological sciences and this was the only course available, I quickly became fascinated with the field. From there I took additional plant science classes and then decided to go on to graduate school to gain further training in this field. In particular, I wanted to merge my deep interest in basic cell biology and biochemistry with plant biology. This led to my pursuing and completing a Ph.D. degree in Plant Physiology at the University of California at Riverside.
Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
Research Interests
My research interests focus on medicinal plants and in particular, the role of the growth environment in determining the levels of medicinal chemical production by plants. My projects have focused on several psychotropic medicinal plants including St. Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) and Kava (Piper methysticum). We are also examining how the growth environment of garlic (Allium sativa) influences the levels of sulfurous compounds generated in the bulb of this plant. These compounds have an important role in the beneficial effects of garlic in decreasing both blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Other related activities
Coordinator, NRES Off-Campus Masters' Degree Program
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