Dr. Joel F. Swift

Joel Franklin Swift
  • Post-doctoral Researcher

Contact Info

Research —

Faculty Sponsor: Maggie Wagner

Joel is interested in plant-microbe interactions, especially those with applicable benefits to agriculture. His dissertation focused on exploring genomic interactions and their impact on the microbiome of grafted grapevines. Within the Wagner lab, his research seeks to assess the ability of host-associated microorganisms and microbiomes to alleviate drought stress in maize. Using soils collected across a precipitation gradient in Kansas, he hopes to understand soil legacy effects on maize drought tolerance and assemble a large culture collection for future bioprospecting and comparative genomics.

Selected Publications —

  • Zoë Migicovsky, Michelle Y. Quigley, Joey Mullins, Tahira Ali, Joel F. Swift, Anita Rose Agasaveeran, Joseph D. Dougherty, Brendan Michael Grant, Ilayda Korkmaz, Maneesh Reddy Malpeddi, Emily L. McNichol, Andrew W. Sharp, Jackie L. Harris, Danielle R. Hopkins, Lindsay M. Jordan, Misha T. Kwasniewski, R. Keith Striegler, Asia L. Dowtin, Stephanie Stotts, Peter Cousins, Daniel H. Chitwood. "X-ray imaging of 30 year old wine grape wood reveals cumulative impacts of rootstocks on scion secondary growth and harvest index." Horticulture Research, 10.1 (2023).
  • Zoe Migicovsky, Joel F. Swift, Zachary Helget, Laura L. Klein, Anh Ly, Matthew Maimaitiyiming, Karoline Woodhouse, Anne Fennell, Misha Kwasniewski, Allison J. Miller, Peter Cousins, Daniel H. Chitwood. Increases in vein length compensate for leaf area lost to lobing in grapevine. American Journal of Botany, 109.7 (2022): 1063-1073
  • Joel F. Swift, Megan E. Hall, Zachary N. Harris, Misha T. Kwasniewski, Allison J. Miller. Grapevine Microbiota Reflect Diversity among Compartments and Complex Interactions within and among Root and Shoot Systems. Microorganisms 9.1 (2021): 92.
  • Zachary N. Harris, Laura L. Klein, Mani Awale, Joel F. Swift, Zoë Migicovsky, Niyati Bhakta, Emma Frawley, Daniel H. Chitwood, Anne Fennell, Laszlo G. Kovacs, Misha T. Kwasniewski, Jason P. Londo, Qin Ma, Allison J. Miller. Root system influence on high dimensional leaf phenotypes over the grapevine growing season. GigaScience 10.12 (2021): giab087.
  • Richard F. Lance, Xin Guan, Joel F. Swift, Christine E. Edwards, Denise L. Lindsay, and Eric R. Britzke. Multifaceted DNA Metabarcoding of Guano to Uncover Multiple Classes of Ecological Data in Two Different Bat Communities. Evolutionary Applications 15.7 (2022): 1189-1200.
  • Joel F. Swift, Richard Lance, Xin Guan, Eric R. Britzke, Denise L. Lindsay, and Christine E. Edwards. Multifaceted DNA metabarcoding: validation of a non-invasive, next-generation monitoring approach to measure critical population parameters in bats. Evolutionary Applications 11.7 (2018): 1120-1138.

Selected Presentations —

  • Swift. J. F., Migicovsky, Z., Trello, G. E., Miller, A. J. Grafted grapevine microbiota varies across space, time, and scion/rootstock combinations. Botany, Anchorage, AK (2022).
  • Swift, J. F. From roots to shoots, the impact of grafting on Vitis microbiota. University of Missouri, Show Me Grape and Wine Symposium. Columbia, MO. (2022).
  • Swift, J. F. Putting together the pieces: Grafted grapevine microbiomes. Saint Louis University, Biology Department Retreat. St. Louis, MO (2021).
  • Swift, J. F., Hall, M. E, Harris, Z. N., Kwasniewski M. T., and Miller, A. J. Grafting and Vitis Microbiota. “Vitismeet”, Grapevine research working group (2021).
  • Swift, J. F. and Rubin, M. J. Perennial crops: Untapped variation. North American Raspberry and Blackberry Conference. St. Louis, MO (2020).
  •  Swift, J. F. How do grapevine roots affect the vine and your wine? St. Louis Science Center, Science Uncorked event, St. Louis, MO (2019).

Awards & Honors —

  • NSF Graduate Research Fellow 2017-2022