Meet a Whitehead Postdoc: Evan Groover

Evan Groover is a postdoc in Whitehead Institute Member Mary Gehring’s lab working on understanding how epigenetics shapes plant development, evolution, and crop performance. We sat down with Groover to learn more about him and his experiences in and out of the lab. 

What is the focus of your postdoc research?

My research focuses on plant epigenetics: chemical tags and other signals that influence which genes are turned on or off without altering the underlying DNA sequence. These tags attach to DNA and the proteins that package it, helping shape how plants grow and respond to their environment. 

I’m interested in how epigenetic mechanisms influence crop performance, and how we can engineer them to develop plants with higher yield and improved nutrition. Given current challenges in global agriculture, this is urgent work. Many nations restrict technologies that directly alter plant DNA, but epigenetic changes occur naturally and are not subject to the same regulations. This makes epigenetic engineering a practical path to improving crops in places where traditional genetic modification is off the table, and a way to improve the food supply for many.

How did you get interested in plant biology research? 

I’ve always been quite curious about the natural world, but it wasn’t always obvious I would be a biologist. Growing up I trained to be a musician, but during my undergraduate years I became captivated by experimental plant biology. In an introductory biochemistry course, I learnt about plants’ ability to precisely sense and respond to blue light – and these organisms that I would have otherwise considered inert (even boring) took on a new life. 

My passion for doing research deepened as I began to understand the humanitarian and social impact crop research can have. Plant genetics is one of our most powerful tools for studying evolution and biodiversity, and plants are high-impact tools for solving ecological and health problems. 

Is music still a passion? Do you sense a connection between your passion for music and your work as a scientist?

Yes! I’m an active musician – primarily a jazz saxophonist, though I also play guitar and a range of woodwind instruments. Over the years I’ve performed professionally playing parties, weddings, and bars, and have performed for fun in bands of many different genres. One of the things that drew me to Boston was its Celtic and folk music scene, which I am enjoying exploring, but jazz is my first love as a performer.

For me, music and science work synergistically. Music is a salve when experiments aren’t working, and a source of celebration when they are. It supports my emotional and creative life alongside research. The way I see it: research science and artistic creation both require a sense of wonder, curiosity, and experimentation. As I’ve matured as a scientist, I’ve found that research ever more satisfyingly scratches the creative itch.

How has your work in plant biology shaped your approach to global challenges like food insecurity?

Through my work in plant biology and global outreach, I’ve come to see that crops sit at the center of some of our most urgent global challenges. Food is the foundation of peace in our civilization, and food insecurity, malnutrition, and childhood stunting are some of the largest-looming threats to our collective prosperity.

So, I’ve been deeply motivated to do international outreach around agricultural biotechnology. During my graduate years I helped establish a CRISPR gene editing training program through the African Orphan Crops Consortium. We travel to East Africa several times a year to train leading Pan-African plant scientists to improve “orphan crops”. These are underdeveloped staple foods that feed millions – especially in low- and middle-income countries – that haven’t benefited from many of the genetic improvements achieved in crops grown in the Global North. In turn, I've been quite invested in the regulatory governance around genome editing in agriculture. I have worked with governments around the world to develop programs and policies for responsibly regulating CRISPR technologies in agriculture.

A core part of my personal mission as a scientist is to ensure that genome editing and genomic technologies are democratized such that we can all benefit from their discovery. In our lifetimes these tools will be used to combat some of the most pressing humanitarian challenges, and so it’s important that access to them isn’t limited to a few regions. 

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

I would like to be leading a research program at the frontier of plant biology to address problems in food security and malnutrition. I have a deep affection for fundamental and theoretical plant biology, and I hope to continue to be a serious student of plant life – we still have much to learn, and I hope some of that outstanding knowledge might have big pay-offs for our growing world.