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Mauricio S. Antunes

Associate Professor

University of North Texas

Department of Biological Sciences

(940) 369-5457

Email: Mauricio.Antunes@unt.edu

Education

  • PhD, Purdue University, 2003
    Major: Botany & Plant Pathology
    Specialization: Plant Molecular Biology
  • Certificate, Krannert School of Management, Purdue University, 2002
    Major: Applied Management Principles
  • MSc, Universidade Federal de Vicosa, 1995
    Major: Crop Sciences
  • BS, Universidade Federal de Vicosa, 1993
    Major: Agronomy

Professional Positions

    Academic - Post-Secondary

  • Associate Professor, University of North Texas. University of North Texas. (2025 - Present).
  • Assistant Professor, University of North Texas. University of North Texas. (2018 - 2025).
  • Special Assistant Professor, Colorado State University. Colorado State University. (2010 - 2018).

    • Professional

  • Senior Research Associate, Purdue University/US-DOE, Center for Direct Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels (C3Bio). Purdue University/US-DOE, Center for Direct Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels (C3Bio). (2009 - 2010).
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate, Colorado State University. Colorado State University. (2004 - 2009).
  • Research Associate, Maize & Sorghum National Research Center, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA). Maize & Sorghum National Research Center, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA). (1996 - 1997).

Professional Memberships

  • American Chemical Society. (December 2022 - Present).
  • American Society of Plant Biologists. (June 2000 - Present).
  • Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society of Agriculture, Consumer and Family Sciences and Veterinary Medicine. (2000 - Present).
  • Brazilian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. (1990 - Present).

Development Activities

  • Faculty Fellowship, 2021 Washington DC Fellows Program, UNT Office of the Vice-President for Research and Innovation. Denton,TX,United States of America. (January 2021 - July 2021).
  • Workshop, Planning and Writing Successful Grant Proposals, UNT - Office of Research and Innovation. Denton,TX,United States of America. (February 27, 2020 - February 27, 2020).
  • Workshop, Promotion and Tenure Workshop, UNT Office for Faculty Success. Denton,TX,United States of America. (September 23, 2019 - September 23, 2019).
  • Seminar, How to be an effective mentor, American Society of Plant Biologists - Plantae. United States of America. (July 25, 2019 - July 25, 2019).
  • Workshop, NSF CAREER Workshop, UNT Office of Research and Innovation. Denton,TX,United States of America. (April 17, 2019 - April 17, 2019).
  • Workshop, Leadership and Management When Running a Research Program, Colorado State University. Fort Collins,CO,United States of America. (October 2014 - October 2014).
  • Workshop, Avoid Allegations of Research Misconduct through Effective Data Management, Colorado State University. Fort Collins,CO,United States of America. (February 2014 - February 2014).

Teaching

Teaching Experience

    University of North Texas

  • BIOC 4570 - Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Gene, 7 courses.
  • BIOC 5340 - Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Gene, 5 courses.
  • BIOC 5900 - Special Problems, 1 course.
  • BIOC 5950 - Master's Thesis, 5 courses.
  • BIOC 6940 - Individual Research, 10 courses.
  • BIOL 1710 - Biology for Science Majors I, 5 courses.
  • BIOL 3901 - Advanced Research in Microbiology, 2 courses.
  • BIOL 3996 - Honors College Mentored Research Experience, 2 courses.
  • BIOL 4005 - Contemporary Topics in Biology, 6 courses.
  • BIOL 4570 - Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Gene, 7 courses.
  • BIOL 4900 - Special Problems, 3 courses.
  • BIOL 5005 - TOPICS IN BIOLOGY, 2 courses.
  • BIOL 5340 - Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Gene, 6 courses.
  • BIOL 5950 - Master's Thesis, 1 course.
  • BIOL 6940 - Individual Research, 10 courses.

Teaching at Other Institutions

  • Biosafety & Biosecurity Training Course, Transgenic Plants in the Laboratory, the Greenhouse, and in the Field, Summer 2018.
  • Colorado State University, BSPM 740 Plant Molecular Genetics, Fall 2017.
  • Biosafety & Biosecurity Training Course, Transgenic Plants in the Laboratory, the Greenhouse, and in the Field, Summer 2017.
  • Biosafety & Biosecurity Training Course, Genetically Engineered Plants: Production, Regulation and Non-regulation, Summer 2016.
  • Biosafety & Biosecurity Training Course, Transgenic Plants in the Laboratory, the Greenhouse, and in the Field, Summer 2013.
  • Biosafety & Biosecurity Training Course, Transgenic Plants in the Laboratory, the Greenhouse, and in the Field, Summer 2008.

Non-Credit Instruction

  • Guest Lecture, (April 27, 2026 - April 27, 2026).
  • Guest Lecture, (February 9, 2026 - February 9, 2026).
  • Guest Lecture, (April 2025 - April 2025).
  • Guest Lecture, (April 21, 2025 - April 21, 2025).
  • Guest Lecture, (November 11, 2024 - November 11, 2024).
  • Guest Lecture, (April 2024 - April 2024).
  • Guest Lecture, (April 22, 2024 - April 22, 2024).
  • Guest Lecture, (April 2023 - April 2023).
  • Guest Lecture, (April 2022 - April 2022).

Directed Student Learning

  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (March 2026).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (January 2026).
  • Supervised Research, Biological Sciences. (September 24, 2025).
  • Master's Thesis Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (March 2025).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (February 2025).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (February 2025).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (October 2024).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (October 2024).
  • Major Professor, Biological Sciences. (September 2024).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (August 2024).
  • Supervised Research, Biological Sciences. (February 1, 2024).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biomedical Engineering. (December 2023).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (November 2023).
  • Major Professor, Biological Sciences. (January 2023).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (October 2022).
  • Major Professor, Biological Sciences. (August 2022).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (May 2022).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (March 2022).
  • Master's Thesis Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (March 2025 - April 2026).
  • Master's Thesis Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (August 2024 - April 2026).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (December 2020 - December 2025).
  • Other (Honors College Mentored Research), Biological Sciences. (August 18, 2025 - December 12, 2025).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (August 2025 - October 21, 2025).
  • Supervised Research, Biological Sciences. (June 1, 2025 - August 15, 2025).
  • Supervised Research, Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. (February 1, 2024 - May 5, 2025).
  • Other (MS Co-Major Professor), Biological Sciences. (January 2022 - December 2024).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (September 2019 - December 12, 2024).
  • Supervised Research, Biological Sciences. (October 1, 2023 - September 2024).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (September 2018 - July 8, 2024).
  • Supervised Research, Biological Sciences. (October 2021 - May 2024).
  • Supervised Research, Biological Sciences. (October 2021 - May 2024).
  • Supervised Research, Biological Sciences. (August 2021 - May 2024).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (January 2021 - May 2024).
  • Other (Honors College Contract), Biological Sciences. (January 12, 2024 - May 1, 2024).
  • Postdoctoral Research Supervision, Biological Sciences. (January 2020 - April 2024).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (October 2018 - March 2024).
  • Major Professor, Biological Sciences. (June 2021 - December 2023).
  • Supervised Research, Biological Sciences. (November 2022 - August 2023).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (July 2021 - May 2023).
  • Supervised Research, Biological Sciences. (May 2022 - December 2022).
  • Supervised Research, Biological Sciences. (September 2021 - December 2022).
  • Major Professor, Biological Sciences. (January 2019 - December 2022).
  • Supervised Research, Biological Sciences. (February 2022 - August 2022).
  • Supervised Research, Biological Sciences. (January 13, 2022 - August 15, 2022).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (March 2019 - July 2022).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Other - Outside UNT. (January 2017 - June 24, 2022).
  • Major Professor, Biological Sciences. (January 2019 - July 2021).
  • Supervised Research, Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. (June 2020 - May 2021).
  • Supervised Research, Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. (January 2020 - February 2021).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (April 2019 - December 2020).
  • Supervised Research, Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. (September 2019 - May 2020).
  • Supervised Research, Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. (June 2019 - May 2020).
  • Supervised Research, Biological Sciences. (January 2019 - May 2020).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Other - Outside UNT. (August 2014 - January 2020).
  • Internship Advisor, Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. (June 2019 - August 2019).
  • Master's Thesis Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (April 2019 - August 02, 2019).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Other - Outside UNT. (August 2015 - March 29, 2019).
  • Postdoctoral Research Supervision, Other - Outside UNT. (2017 - 2018).
  • Postdoctoral Research Supervision, Other - Outside UNT. (2013 - 2018).
  • Master's Thesis Committee Member, Other - Outside UNT. (January 2017 - August 2018).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Other - Outside UNT. (August 2016 - August 2017).
  • Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Other - Outside UNT. (August 2016 - May 2017).
  • Directed Individual/Independent Study, Other - Outside UNT. (August 2015 - May 2016).
  • Doctoral Advisory Committee Member, Other - Outside UNT. (January 2011 - May 2016).
  • Postdoctoral Research Supervision, Other - Outside UNT. (2013 - 2015).

Awards and Honors

  • NAASC (North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee) Inclusivity Scholars Program, North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee. (April 2024).
  • Carl Storm Underrepresented Minority Fellowship, Gordon Research Conference. (February 22, 2023).

Research

Published Intellectual Contributions

    Abstracts and Proceedings

  • Kassaw, T.K., Xu, W., Zalewski, C.W., Kiwimagi, K., Weiss, R., Antunes, M.S., Prasad, A., Medford, J.I. (2022). Developing a genetic toggle switch in Arabidopsis. Bulletin of the American Physical Society. 67 (3) F04.003.
  • Kiwimagi, K., Antunes, M.S., Xu, W., Kassaw, T.K., Zalewski, C., Medford, J.I., Prasad, A. (2020). Synthetic genetic circuits using plant protoplasts. Bulletin of the American Physical Society. 65 (1) U26.002.
  • Schaumberg, K., Antunes, M.S., Kassaw, T.K., Xu, W., Zalewski, C., Medford, J.I., Prasad, A. (2016). Quantitative characterization of genetic parts and circuits using protoplasts for plant synthetic biology. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 27 (25) M270.
  • Schaefer, T.T., Medford, J.I., Antunes, M.S., Morey, K.J. (2015). Optimization of a conditionally stable transcription factor for the detection of progesterone in Arabidopsis thaliana using protoplast luciferase imaging. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 26 (25) P1920.
  • Shaw, A.K., Medford, J.I., Antunes, M.S., McCormick, W.S., Wicker, D. (2007). Hyperspectral Exploitation with Plant Sentinels. SPIE: The International Society for Optics and Photonics. 6554 (65540S) 12.

    • Conference Proceeding

  • Schaumberg, K., Xu, W., Zalewski, C., Kassaw, T., Antunes, M.S., Medford, J., Prasad, A. (2015). Methods for quantitative analysis in plant synthetic biology. ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 249 BIOT 333.

    • Journal Article

  • Adair, T., Afrawal, S., Alvarez, R., Anders, K., Antunes, M.S., Ayuk, M., Baez-Flores, M., Bailey, D., Baliraine, F., Balish, M., Bancroft, C., Barmoy, M., Bates, T., Beyer, A., Bhalla, S., Bollivar, D., Bono, L., Bortz, R., Bouklas, T., Butela, K., Byrum, C., Edwards, D. (2026). Science Communication Tools: Rubrics for Generating Posters and Manuscripts that are Authentic to the Practice of Science. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education. https://journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10.1128/jmbe.00313-25
  • Strader, L., Edwards, D., Sureshkumar, S., Balasubramanian, S., Chen, T., Dong, X., Antunes, M.S., Zebluim, L., Chaisupa, P., Wright, C. (2025). Core biological principles and tools stemming from basic Arabidopsis research. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf141
  • Kassaw, T.K., Xu, W., Zalewski, C.S., Kiwimagi, K.A., Weiss, R., Antunes, M.S., Prasad, A., Medford, J.I. (2025). A genetic toggle switch in plants. ACS Synthetic Biology. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssynbio.4c00777
  • Ferreira, S.d., Pandey, S., Hemminger, J., Bozdag, S., Antunes, M.S. (2025). Early changes in microRNA expression in Arabidopsis plants infected with the fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum. PLOS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0318532
  • Monti, D., Gill, J., Adair, T., Adams, S., Ahumada-Santos, Y., Amaya, I., Anders, K., Anderson, J.R., Antunes, M.S., Ayuk, M., Baliraine, F., Bates, T.C., Beyer, A.R., Cresawn, S.G., Heller, D.M., Jacobs-Sera, D., Russell, D.A., Hatfull, G.F., Asai, D.J., Hanauer, D.I., Graham, M.J., Sivanathan, V. (2024). An inclusive Research and Education Community (iREC) model to facilitate undergraduate science education reform. Other. 9 1442318. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1442318
  • Ferreira, S.S., Antunes, M.S. (2024). Genetically encoded Boolean logic operators to sense and integrate phenylpropanoid metabolite levels in plants. New Phytologist. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19823
  • Hanauer, D.I., Zhang, T., Graham, M.J., Adams, S.D., Ahumada-Santos, Y.P., Alvey, R.M., Antunes, M.S., Ayuk, M.A., Elena Báez-Flores, M., Bancroft, C.T., Bates, T.C., Bechman, M.J., Behr, E., Beyer, A.R., Bortz, R.L., Bowder, D.M., Briggs, L.A., Brown-Kennerly, V., Buckholt, M.A., Bullock, S.K., Butela, K.A., Byrum, C.A., Caruso, S.M., Chia, C.P., Chong, R.A., Chung, H., Clase, K.L., Coleman, S.T., Parks Collins, D., Conant, S.B., Condon, B.M., Connerly, P.L., Connors, B.J., Cook-Easterwood, J.E., Crump, K.E., D’Elia, T., Dennis, M.K., DeVeaux, L.C., Diacovich, L., Duffy, I., Edgington, N.P., Edwards, D.C., Egwuatu, T.O., Eivazova, E.R., Fallest-Strobl, P.C., Fillman, C.L., Findley, A.M., Fisher, E., Fisher, M.R., Fogarty, M.P., Freise, A.C., Frost, V.J., Gainey, M.D., Garcia Costas, A.M., Garza, A.A., Gavin, H.E., Ghittoni, R., Gibb, B., Golebiewska, U.P., Grinath, A.S., Gurney, S.M., Hare, R.F., Heninger, S.G., Hinz, J.M., Hughes, L.E., Jayachandran, P., Johnson, K.C., Johnson, A.A., Kanther, M., Kenna, M., Kirkpatrick, B.L., Klyczek, K.K., Kohl, K.P., Kuchka, M., LaPeruta, A.J., Lee-Soety, J.Y., Lewis, L.O., Lindberg, H.M., Madden, J.A., Markov, S.A., Mastropaolo, M.D., Mathur, V., McClory, S.P., Merkhofer, E.C., Merkle, J.A., Michael, S.F., Mitchell, J.C., Molloy, S.D., Monti, D.L., Mussi, M.A., Nance, H., Nieto-Fernandez, F.E., Nissen, J.C., Nsa, I.Y., O’Donnell, M.G., Page, S.T., Panagakis, A., Parra-Unda, J.R., Pelletier, T.A., Perez Morales, T.G., Peters, N.T., Phuntumart, V., Pollenz, R.S., Preuss, M.L., Puthoff, D.P., Raifu, M.K., Reyna, N.S., Rinehart, C.A., Rocheleau, J.M., Rossier, O., Rudner, A.D., Rueschhoff, E.E., Ryan, A., Saha, S., Shaffer, C.D., Smith, M.A., Sprenkle, A.B., Strong, C.L., Sunnen, C.N., Tarbox, B.P., Temple, L., Thoemke, K.R., Thomas, M.A., Tobiason, D.M., Tolsma, S.S., Garcia, J.T., Valentine, M.S., Vazquez, E., Ward, R.E., Ward, C.M., Ware, V.C., Warner, M.H., Washington, J.M., Westholm, D.E., Wheaton, K.A., Wilkes, B.M., Williams, E.C., Biederman, W.H., Cresawn, S.G., Heller, D.M., Jacobs-Sera, D., Hatfull, G.F., Asai, D.J., Sivanathan, V. (2023). Models of classroom assessment for course-based research experiences. Other. 8 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1279921
  • Anderson, C.E., Ferreira, S.S., Antunes, M.S. (2023). Integration of multiple stress signals in plants using synthetic Boolean logic gates. Plant Physiology. 192 (4) 3189–3202. https://academic.oup.com/plphys/article/192/4/3189/7146947
  • Ferreira, S.S., Anderson, C.E., Antunes, M.S. (2023). A Logical Way to Reprogram Plants. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 654 80-86. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006291X23002668
  • Amack, S.C., Ferreira, S.S., Antunes, M. (2023). Tuning the Transcriptional Activity of the CaMV 35S Promoter in Plants by Single-Nucleotide Changes in the TATA Box. ACS Synthetic Biology. 12 (1) 178-185. American Chemical Society (ACS). https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acssynbio.2c00457
  • Ferreira, S., Antunes, M. (2021). Re-engineering plant phenylpropanoid metabolism with the aid of synthetic biosensors. Frontiers in Plant Science. 12 701385. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.701385/full
  • Amack, S.C., Antunes, M.S. (2020). CaMV35S promoter--a plant biology and biotechnology workhorse in the era of synthetic biology. Other. 24 100179. Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214662820300608
  • VILAÇA VASCONCELOS, M.J., Antunes, M.S., DE OLIVEIRA, M.F., LOPES, M.A., FONTES FIGUEIREDO, J.E. (2018). Callus Induction and Plant Regeneration from Immature Embryos Culture of Tropical Maize. Other. 17 (3) 359. Brazilian Association of Maize and Sorghum. https://doi.org/10.18512/1980-6477/rbms.v17n3p359-368
  • Kassaw, T.K., Donayre-Torres, A.J., Antunes, M.S., Morey, K.J., Medford, J.I. (2018). Engineering synthetic regulatory circuits in plants. Plant Science. 273 13-22. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168945218300529
  • Bick, M.J., Greisen, P.J., Morey, K.J., Antunes, M.S., La, D., Sankaran, B., Reymond, L., Johnsson, K., Medford, J.I., Baker, D. (2017). Computational design of environmental sensors for the potent opioid fentanyl. eLife. 6 23.
  • Antunes, M.S., Hodges, T.K., Carpita, N.C. (2016). A benzoate-activated promoter from Aspergillus niger and regulation of its activity. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 100 (12) 5479-5489.
  • Yang, H., Wei, H., Ma, G., Antunes, M.S., Vogt, S., Cox, J., Zhang, X., Liu, X., Bu, L., Gleber, S.C., Carpita, N.C., Makowski, L., Himmel, M.E., Tucker, M.P., McCann, M.C., Murphy, A.S., Peer, W.A. (2016). Cell wall targeted in planta iron accumulation enhances biomass conversion and seed iron concentration in Arabidopsis and rice. Plant Biotechnology Journal. 14 (10) 1998-2009.
  • Schaumberg, K.A., Antunes, M.S., Kassaw, T.K., Xu, W., Zalewski, C.S., Medford, J.I., Prasad, A. (2016). Quantitative characterization of genetic parts and circuits for plant synthetic biology. Other. 13 (1) 94-100.
  • Feng, J., Jester, B.W., Tinberg, C.E., Mandell, D.J., Antunes, M.S., Chari, R., Morey, K.J., Rios, X., Medford, J.I., Church, G.M., Fields, S., Baker, D. (2015). A general strategy to construct small molecule biosensors in eukaryotes. eLife. 4
  • Antunes, M.S., Smith, J.J., Jantz, D., Medford, J.I. (2012). Targeted DNA excision in Arabidopsis by a re-engineered homing endonuclease. Other. 12 12.
  • Antunes, M.S., Morey, K.J., Smith, J.J., Albrecht, K.D., Bowen, T.A., Zdunek, J.K., Troupe, J.F., Cuneo, M.J., Webb, C.T., Hellinga, H.W., Medford, J.I. (2011). Programmable Ligand Detection System in Plants through a Synthetic Signal Transduction Pathway. PLOS One. 6 (1) 11.
  • Antunes, M.S., Morey, K.J., Tewari-Singh, N., Bowen, T.A., Smith, J.J., Webb, C.T., Hellinga, H.W., Medford, J.I. (2009). Engineering key components in a synthetic eukaryotic signal transduction pathway. Other. 5 (270) 11.
  • Antunes, M.S., Ha, S., Tewari-Singh, N., Morey, K.J., Trofka, A.M., Kugrens, P., Deyholos, M., Medford, J.I. (2006). A synthetic de-greening gene circuit provides a reporting system that is remotely detectable and has a re-set capacity. Plant Biotechnology Journal. 4 (6) 605-622.

    • Review

  • Morey, K.J., Antunes, M.S., Barrow, M.J., Solorzano, F.A., Havens, K.L., Smith, J.J., Medford, J. (2012). Crosstalk between endogenous and synthetic components - synthetic signaling meets endogenous components. Biotechnology Journal. 7 (7) 846-855.
  • Morey, K.J., Antunes, M.S., Albrecht, K.D., Bowen, T.A., Troupe, J.F., Havens, K.L., Medford, J.I. (2011). Developing a synthetic signal transduction system in plants. Other. Methods in Enzymology. 497 581-602.

Presentations Given

    Design Work

  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Plant & Animal Genome XXI Conference – Synthetic Biology Workshop, Synthetic Sensing and Signal Transduction: Designing Novel Traits in Plants, San Diego, CA, United States of America. (2013).

    • Invited Talk

  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Genetics and Genomics Academy, Synthetic transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene circuits for reprogramming plant metabolism, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America. (2026 - 2026).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Department of Plant Biology Seminar, Reprogramming Plant Specialized Metabolism with Information-processing Genetic Circuits, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America. (2025 - 2025).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Reprogramming Plant Specialized Metabolism with Information Processing Synthetic Genetic Circuits, Texas Tech University, Delivered virtually (Zoom), United States of America. (2025 - 2025).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Ferrreira, S.S. (Author), Future of Agriculture for Sustainability, Rewiring Plant Metabolism with Information Processing Circuits, Keystone Symposia, Keystone, CO, United States of America. (2025 - 2025).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), BioFrontiers Seminar, Reprogramming Plant Metabolism with Synthetic Transcriptional and Post-transcriptional Genetic Circuits, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, United States of America. (2024).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Department of Biology Seminar, Reprogramming Plant Specialized Metabolism with Synthetic Transcriptional and Post-transcriptional Genetic Circuits, Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX, United States of America. (2024).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Professional Science Master's in Biotechnology Program, Plant Biotechnology in the 21st Century, Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).
  • Antunes, M. (Author & Presenter), Anderson, C. (Author), Amack, S. (Author), Ferreira, S. (Author), Brazilian Bioenergy Science & Technology Conference - BBEST 2020, Dynamic control of secondary metabolism in plants, Sao Paulo - Brazil, Brazil. (2021).
  • Antunes, M. (Author & Presenter), TAMS Summer Research Scholars Seminar, Synthetic Biology: an engineering approach to biology, UNT - TAMS, Denton, TX, United States of America. (2020).
  • Antunes, M. (Author & Presenter), Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Engineering novel functions in plants with synthetic biological circuits, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States of America. (2019 - 2019).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), BioFrontiers Seminar, An engineering approach to programming function in plants, UNT- Department of Biological Sciences, Denton, TX, United States of America. (2018).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Synthetic genetic circuits enable engineering of complex biological functions in plants, University of Wyoming - Department of Chemical Engineering, Laramie, WY, United States of America. (2017).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), 253rd American Chemical Society National Meeting, Human design of food and crops, American Chemical Society, San Fancisco, CA, United States of America. (2017).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), International Conference on Plant Synthetic Biology and Engineering, Design and implementation of genetic circuits for complex biological functions in plants, American Chemical Society, Miami, FL, United States of America. (2016).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Congresso Brasileiro de Soja/Mercosoja, Sentinel Plants and Genetic Use Restriction Technologies (GURTs), Florianopolis, Brazil, Brazil. (2015).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Department of Biology, Overcoming the Challenges of Applying Synthetic Biology Principles to Plants, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States of America. (2015).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Plant & Animal Genome XXII Conference - Synthetic Biology Workshop, Engineering Synthetic Genetic Circuits in Plants, San Diego, CA, United States of America. (2014).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Workshop on Genetic Resources and Climate Change, Synthetic Biology and its Contribution to the Development of Improved Agricultural Traits, USDA-ARS NCGRP, Fort Collins, CO, United States of America. (2012).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Dept. of Botany & Plant Pathology, Using Synthetic Biology to Develop Plant Sentinels, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States of America. (2009).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Plant Science’s Bioinformatics, Systems and Synthetic Biology Summer School, Synthetic Biology of Plants – Challenges and Accomplishments, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK, United Kingdom. (2009).

    • Keynote/Plenary Address

  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Genobiotec 13, Engineering synthetic sensing and signal transduction traits in plants, Monterrey, Mexico, Mexico. (2013).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Front Range Biosafety Association NIH-OBA & Biosafety Symposium, Synthetic Biology: new field, new biosafety concerns?, Univ. of Colorado Denver – Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, United States of America. (2013).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), 2013 Molecular Biology Program Symposium, Synthetic Biology and its Applications to Plants, Univ. of Colorado Denver – Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, United States of America. (2013).

    • Oral Presentation

  • Bodampati, S. (Author & Presenter), Antunes, M.S. (Author), BDI Seminar Series, Investigating the roles of MYBL2 and UGT78K1 in the synthesis of condensed tannins and anthocyanins in Nicotiana benthamiana, BioDiscovery Institute - UNT, Denton, TX, United States of America. (2025 - 2025).
  • Shoyeb, M. (Author & Presenter), Antunes, M.S. (Author), BDI Seminar Series, Tissue-specific expression analysis of miRNA395 and miRNA171 gene family members in Arabidopsis, BioDiscovery Institute - UNT, Denton, TX, United States of America. (2024 - 2024).
  • Hemminger, J. (Author & Presenter), Antunes, M.S. (Author), BDI Seminar Series, Investigating the role of HEN1 and HST in miRNA processing and mobility in Arabidopsis thaliana, BioDiscovery Institute - UNT, Denton, TX, United States of America. (2024 - 2024).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Ferrreira, S.S. (Author), 2024 International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR), Reprogramming plant specialized metabolism with information-processing synthetic genetic circuits, The North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC), San Diego, CA, United States of America. (2024 - 2024).
  • Ferreira, S.d. (Author & Presenter), Antunes, M.S. (Author), Plant Biology 2024, Genetically encoded Boolean logic operators to sense and integrate phenylpropanoid metabolite levels in plants, American Society of Plant Biologists, Honolulu, HI, United States of America. (2024 - 2024).
  • Shoyeb, M. (Author & Presenter), Antunes, M.S. (Author), BDI Seminar Series, Expression analysis of members of the miRNA395 and miRNA171 gene families in Arabidopsis, UNT BioDiscovery Institute, Denton, TX, United States of America. (2023).
  • Higgs, H. (Author & Presenter), Antunes, M.S. (Author), Ayre, B.G. (Author), McGarry, R.C. (Author), BioDiscovery Institute Seminar Series, Applying natural mobility factors to enhance meristem-based gene editing with RNA viruses, BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, United States of America. (2023).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Can we teach an old protein new tricks?, UNT - BioDiscovery Institute, Denton, TX, United States of America. (2018).

    • Poster

  • Hemminger, J. (Author & Presenter), Antunes, M.S. (Author), BioDiscovery Institute EXPO, Investigating the Regulatory Role of miRNA-encoded peptides in Plant Nutrient Homeostasis, UNT BDI, Denton, United States of America. (2026 - 2026).
  • Shoyeb, M. (Author & Presenter), Antunes, M.S. (Author), BioDiscovery Institute EXPO, Long-distance mobility of Arabidopsis microRNAs expressed in distinct tissues, UNT BDI, Denton, United States of America. (2026 - 2026).
  • Bodampati, S. (Author & Presenter), Epperson, N. (Author), Antunes, M.S. (Author), BioDiscovery Institute EXPO, Reprogramming Flavonoid Biosynthesis in Nicotiana benthamiana Through Combinatorial Transcription Factor Expression , UNT BDI, Denton, United States of America. (2026 - 2026).
  • Mendoza, M. (Author & Presenter), Rawoof, A. (Author), LaChance, J. (Author), Antunes, M.S. (Author), Alonso, A. (Author), UNT Scholars Day, Development of a Dual-Marker Transgenic Platform in Physaria fendleri Using Agrobacterium-Mediated Floral Dip, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, United States of America. (2026 - 2026).
  • Chiu, J. (Author & Presenter), Lin, Y. (Author), Antunes, M.S. (Author), McGarry, R.C. (Author), UNT Research Day 2025, Developing robust virus tools for meristem-based gene editing of non-model plants, UNT, UNT, United States of America. (2025).
  • Hemminger, J. (Author & Presenter), Antunes, M.S. (Author), Plant Biology 2025, Investigating the Regulatory Role of miRNA-encoded peptides in Plant Nutrient Homeostasis, American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB), Milwaukee, WI, United States of America. (2025 - 2025).
  • Anderson, C.E. (Author), Ferreira, S.S. (Author), Antunes, M.S. (Author & Presenter), 2023 Plant Metabolic Engineering, Synthetic Boolean logic operations to rewire plant specialized metabolism, Gordon Research Conference, Barcelona, Spain. (2023 - 2023).
  • Higgs, H. (Author & Presenter), Antunes, M.S. (Author), Ayre, B.G. (Author), McGarry, R.C. (Author), UNT Scholars Day, Applying natural mobility factors to enhance meristem based gene editing with RNA viruses, UNT, UNT, United States of America. (2023).

Contracts, Grants, Sponsored Research

    Contract

  • Antunes, M.S. (Co-Principal), Medford, J.I. (Principal), "Synthetic Biological Desalination," sponsored by DARPA - U.S. Department of Defense, Federal, $2070000 Funded. (2015 - 2018).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Co-Principal), Medford, J.I. (Principal), "Quantitative analysis of synthetic gene parts for plants," sponsored by Office of Naval Research - U.S. Department of Defense, Federal, $150000 Funded. (2014 - 2016).
  • Antunes, M. (Principal), Medford, J. (Co-Principal), Kipper, M. (Co-Principal), "Engineering synthetic production of durable polymers in plants," sponsored by DARPA - U.S. Department of Defense, Federal, Funded. (2018 - 2019).

    • Grant - Research

  • Longo, A. (Principal), Antunes, M.S. (Co-Principal), "Characterization of proanthocyanidin accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds complemented with mutants of the high affinity nitrate transporter NRT2.7," sponsored by UNT BioDiscovery Institute, Local, $9185 Funded. (2025 - 2026).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Co-Principal), "Modulating the phenylpropanoid pathway with synthetic genetic circuits to enhance accumulation of desired plant specialized metabolites," sponsored by UNT BioDiscovery Institute, Local, $2750 Funded. (2025 - 2026).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Principal), McGarry, R.C. (Co-Principal), "RNA movement in plants: tools for genetic improvement of an emerging oilseed crop," sponsored by University of North Texas BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, $30000 Funded. (2024 - 2025).
  • Antunes, M., "Establishing the biochemical determinants of microRNA long-distance mobility in plants," sponsored by Welch Foundation, State, $240000 Funded. (2021 - 2024).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Principal), Bozdag, S. (Co-Principal), "Identification of early-response small-RNA signatures of biotic stress in plants," sponsored by UNT CENG, COS and VPRI, University of North Texas, $10000 Funded. (2023 - 2024).
  • McGarry, R.C., Antunes, M.S., "Applying natural mobility factors to facilitate meristem gene editing with RNA viruses.," sponsored by BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, $10000 Funded. (2022 - 2022).
  • Antunes, M. (Principal), Alonso, A. (Co-Principal), "Malonyl-CoA sensing and activation of lipid synthesis in pennycress plants," sponsored by UNT College of Science, University of North Texas, $9000 Funded. (2021 - 2022).
  • Berman, D. (Co-Principal), Ayre, B.G. (Co-Principal), Antunes, M.S. (Co-Principal), "Plant fiber-based structures with integrated functional components for enhanced utility.," sponsored by UNT BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, $10000 Funded. (2019 - 2021).
  • Antunes, M. (Principal), "Global analysis of gene expression in Arabidopsis plants treated with a biostimulant," sponsored by Agricen Sciences, Inc., Private, $22005 Funded. (2020 - 2020).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Principal), Medford, J. (Co-Principal), Kipper, M. (Co-Principal), "Engineering synthetic production of durable polymers in plants," sponsored by DARPA - U.S. Department of Defense, Federal, $1700000 Funded. (2018 - 2019).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Co-Principal), Medford, J.I. (Principal), Prasad, A. (Co-Principal), "Synthetic Gene Circuits to Enhance Production of Transgenic Bioenergy Crops," sponsored by ARPA-e, Federal, $2150000 Funded. (2013 - 2015).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Principal), "Establishing the biochemical determinants of microRNA long-distance mobility in plants," sponsored by Robert A. Welch Foundation, FOND, Funded. (2021 - 2024).
  • Antunes, M.S. (Principal), "Global analysis of gene expression in Arabidopsis plants treated with a biostimulant�," sponsored by Agricen Sciences, Inc., IND, Funded. (2020 - 2020).

    • Grant - Service

  • Antunes, M.S., "QIAcube system for nucleic acid isolation and purification - service," sponsored by UNT BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, $2337 Funded. (2025 - 2025).

    • Grant - Teaching

  • Antunes, M. (Principal), Henard, C.A. (Co-Principal), Alberts, A. (Supporting), Hughes, L.E. (Co-Principal), "HHMI SEA-GENES Project," sponsored by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Private, $13500 Funded. (2019).
  • Antunes, M. (Principal), Henard, C. (Co-Principal), Alberts, A. (Supporting), Hughes, L. (Co-Principal), "HHMI SEA-GENES Project," sponsored by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Private, Funded. (2019).

Copyrights, Patents

    Patent

  • Medford, J., Morey, K., Kassaw, T., Antunes, M., Synthetic desalination genetic circuit in plants, 11,692,199. Regular, Date of Patent Application: February 13, 2020. Date Patent Approved: July 4, 2023. .
  • Medford, J.I., Antunes, M.S., Kassaw, T.K., Synthetic repression of gene expression in plants, 15/787,562. Regular, Date of Patent Application: October 18, 2017. .
  • Medford, J.I., Antunes, M.S., Morey, K.J., Jester, B., Tinberg, C., Fields, S., Baker, D., Bick, M., Compositions and methods for detection of small molecules, 15/392,962. Provisional, Date of Patent Application: December 28, 2016. .
  • Medford, J.I., Antunes, M.S., Biological systems input-output response system and plant sentinels, 9,062,320. Regular, Date Patent Approved: June 23, 2015. .
  • Medford, J.I., Antunes, M.S., Morey, K.J., Smith, J.J., Hellinga, H.W., Biological input-output response system and plant sentinels, 8,148,605. Regular, Date Patent Approved: April 03, 2012. .
  • Antunes, M.S., Hodges, T.K., Carpita, N.C., Benzoate-inducible promoters, 7,705,203. Regular, Date Patent Approved: April 27, 2010. .

Service

University Service

  • Committee Chair, Faculty Search Committee - Microbiology/Microbiome. (June 2026 - Present).
  • Member, Personnel Affairs Committee (PAC-R). (September 1, 2025 - Present).
  • Other (Associate Director), BioDiscovery Institute. (September 1, 2024 - Present).
  • Committee Member, BioDiscovery Institute - Executive Committee. (September 2024 - Present).
  • Committee Member, Center for Computational Life Sciences - Executive Committee. (April 2024 - Present).
  • Committee Chair, BioDiscovery Institute Education and Outreach Committee. (August 2023 - Present).
  • Committee Member, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Graduate Admissions Committee. (April 2023 - Present).
  • Committee Member, Biology Undergraduate Scholarship Committee. (March 2023 - Present).
  • Committee Member, Institutional Effectiveness Committee. (September 2020 - Present).
  • Committee Member, Institutional Biosafety Committee. (March 2019 - Present).
  • Grant Proposal Reviewer, Internal, 2025-2026 UNT Research Seed Grants. (March 6, 2026 - March 27, 2026).
  • Other (Poster judge), AI for Biology and Medicine Symposium. (October 30, 2025 - October 30, 2025).
  • Committee Member, Departmental Faculty Workload Policy Ad Hoc Committee. (October 2024 - June 2025).
  • Committee Member, Faculty Search Committee - Plant Biology Faculty. (November 2024 - May 2025).
  • Committee Member, Faculty Search Committee - Immunology/Endocrinology Faculty. (September 2023 - April 2024).
  • Committee Member, BMB Graduate Student Exam Standardization Ad Hoc Committee. (April 2023 - March 2024).
  • Other (Research Poster Judge), TAMS Fair. (January 27, 2024 - January 27, 2024).
  • Other (Research Poster Judge), TAMS Fair. (January 28, 2023 - January 28, 2023).
  • Member, College of Science Faculty and Staff Council on Diversity and Inclusion. (June 3, 2020 - August 2022).
  • Other (Judge of oral presentations), Biology Graduate Student Association Research Day. (April 2022 - April 2022).
  • Committee Member, Faculty Search Committee - Neurobiology Faculty. (November 3, 2021 - March 31, 2022).
  • Other (Research Poster Judge), TAMS Fair. (January 29, 2022 - January 29, 2022).
  • Committee Chair, Staff Search Committee - Genomic Facility Manager. (July 2020 - November 2020).
  • Member, UNT Biosafety Manual - Ad Hoc Working Group. (July 2019 - December 2019).
  • Other (Judge of oral presentations), Biology Graduate Student Association Research Day. (April 11, 2019 - April 11, 2019).
  • Committee Member, BDI Faculty Search Committee. (October 2018 - March 2019).
  • Other (Scientific Poster Judge), Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity (CURC). (2018).
  • Other (Scientific Poster Judge), Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity (CURC). (2017).
  • Other (Scientific Poster Judge), Graduate Student Showcase. (2017).
  • Other (Scientific Poster Judge), Graduate Student Showcase. (2016).
  • Other (Scientific Poster Judge), Graduate Student Showcase. (2015).
  • Other (Scientific Poster Judge), Cell and Molecular Biology Program Poster Symposium. (2014).
  • Other (Scientific Poster Judge), Cell and Molecular Biology Program Poster Symposium. (2013).
  • Other (Scientific Poster Judge), Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity (CURC). (2012).
  • Other (Scientific Poster Judge), Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity (CURC). (2011).

Public Service

  • Other (Judge of student projects), SparkSTEM Virtual Science Fair. (May 07, 2020 - May 15, 2020).

Professional Service

  • Reviewer, Journal Article, Nature Biotechnology. (June 2026 - Present).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, PLOS One. (December 2025 - Present).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, Scientific Reports. (July 2023 - Present).
  • Editor, Journal Editor, Frontiers in Plant Science. (October 5, 2022 - Present).
  • Editor, Guest Editor, Plants - Basel. (May 2022 - Present).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, Current Plant Biology. (2013 - Present).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, Journal of Bioprocessing & Biotechniques. (2011 - Present).
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, NSF Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP). (September 2025 - November 2025).
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech). (March 2025 - March 2025).
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, NSF Division of Molecular & Cellular Biosciences (MCB). (March 2025 - March 2025).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, ACS Omega. (November 2024 - January 2025).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, ACS Synthetic Biology. (June 2024 - August 2024).
  • Reviewer, Grant Proposal, National Science Foundation - IOS - PMB Program Panel. (May 2024 - May 2024).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, Current Opinion in Biotechnology. (March 2024 - May 2024).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, New Phytologist. (June 2023 - May 2024).
  • Reviewer, Grant Proposal, National Science Foundation - PGRP Program Panel. (March 2024 - March 2024).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology. (September 2023 - November 2023).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, BioDesign Research. (May 2023 - October 2023).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, Separations. (October 29, 2022 - December 12, 2022).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, Quantitative Plant Biology. (November 16, 2022 - December 5, 2022).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, Applied Sciences. (April 20, 2022 - May 4, 2022).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, Synthetic Biology - Oxford. (April 2021 - December 2021).
  • Reviewer, Grant Proposal, USDA - NIFA AFRI Commodity Board Co-funding Program. Denton, TX. (October 19, 2021 - November 15, 2021).
  • Reviewer, Grant Proposal, Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST). Virtual panel, (August 12, 2021 - August 13, 2021).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, Genes. (October 2020 - March 2021).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, Plants. (January 2021 - February 2021).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, Nucleic Acids Research. (2019 - 2020).
  • Reviewer, Grant Proposal, Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST). Virtual panel, (May 6, 2020 - May 7, 2020).
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, NSF Plant Genome Program. (2017).
  • Reviewer, Grant Proposal, US-DOE Biological & Environmental Research Program. (2017).
  • Reviewer, Journal Article, Nature Communications. (2016 - 2017).
  • Reviewer, Grant Proposal, USDA-NIFA Biotechnology Risk Assessment Grants (BRAG) Program. (July 2017).
  • Reviewer, Grant Proposal, US-DOE/ARPA-E Open 2015 FOA. (2015).
  • Reviewer, Grant Proposal, USDA-NIFA Biotechnology Risk Assessment Grants (BRAG) Program. (July 2015).