Dr Ian Gilman, post-doctoral researcher in the Van Buren lab, has been awarded the PLB Post-doctoral research award!

Dept of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences - May 10, 2026

Ian reflects on his journey, his MSU experience, and his future.

Dr Ian Gilman, a post-doctoral researcher in the Van Buren lab, has been awarded the PLB Post-doctoral research award! As he wraps up a profound experience here at MSU, Ian reflects on his journey, his MSU experience, and his future.

Originally from western Pennsylvania, which is really just across the lake, Ian sort of took the long way around to MSU: beginning his academic career as a physics major at Bucknell University, followed by a couple of years at the University of Idaho for a master’s, then on to Yale for a PhD.

“By the time I finished my bachelor’s degree in physics, I was completely hooked on plant science,” Ian said. “I still love physics, and I frequently went to physics seminars while at Yale, but evolutionary biology and plant diversity are what really get me excited—the research is a ton of fun."

In 2023 when awarded the NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology for his proposal "Exploring Cell-type Regulatory Dynamics of CAM and C4 Photosynthesis in Portulaca,” Ian chose to come here, to work with Dr Robert Van Buren.

"I wanted to join the VanBuren Lab because of the innovative work they’d been going on the genomics of CAM plants. Bob was a member of my PhD committee and I knew that he could help me learn and leverage the rapidly diversifying technologies for studying plant evolution."

Ian and his wife have shared their Michigan life with two golden retrievers named after Grateful Dead songs (raising several important questions). “We are always seeking water to play in, and Michigan doesn’t disappoint.” Ian’s family connections in Ann Arbor and the Detroit area have made his 3 years at MSU especially meaningful. “We’ve gotten to Wings’ and Pistons’ games, NPR’s 'Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me,' and the DIA several times." And, I’m guessing, DTW. “My wife and I travel every chance we get,” they said. “Most recently we had a fantastic time in Mexico City, which had some of the greatest museums and food we’ve ever experienced.

Best of all: this award provides funding for professional development activities. "I’ve already earmarked it for the annual summer Botany Conference, which is in Tucson this year." (Note: August in Tucson is a commitment🔥)

BUT the majority of his summer will be packing and moving east! "Beginning this fall I’ll be an assistant professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut."

"I always knew that I wanted to be a scientist, and physics seemed like the best place to start," Ian says. "I’m incredibly fortunate that I’ve managed to make a career out of investigating the things I’m curious about.

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College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences