Mark Lubkowitz earned a BS in Biology from Washington and Lee University and his Ph.D. in Microbiology from The University of Tennessee where he studied peptide transport systems in pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungi. After completing his doctorate, Mark received a NIH post-doctoral fellowship to study plant genetics at UC Berkeley. Mark moved to Saint Michael's College in 2001 where he has developed a research program that investigates the role of transporters in various aspects of the plant lifecycle. His research program is integrated with his teaching through student involvement in the laboratory and by exploring experimental questions in courses. His work has been funded by NSF through an RUI and he is currently a co-PI on a NSF plant genome grant. In addition to his research program, Mark is the co-founder of the Teaching Gardens of Saint Michael’s College and co-author of the bimonthly column Books in Bloom published by the National Gardening Association.