Jamie You

PhD Candidate

Email: jyyou@student.ubc.ca

Projects

  • In planta functionalization of putative salicinoid-producing BAHD acyltransferases
  • Insect metabolism of salicinoid phenolic glycosides

Research Interests

Poplar trees are an extremely important species for a variety of industrial, urban, and ecological applications. With increasing demand for clean energy and bioproducts, as well as the ever-present threat of climate change and species introductions, it is imperative that we study the resilience of poplar to both biotic (pests and pathogens) and abiotic stressors (drought, heatwaves, salinity). It has been long known that secondary metabolites – compounds that are not directly implicated in growth, bear the responsibility of protecting the plant against such stressors.

My research aims to decipher a class of enzymes called BAHD acyltransferases involved in the production of salicinoids, a diverse group of secondary metabolites which are ubiquitous in poplar. These compounds have been linked with mechanisms that allow the plant to deal with both biotic and abiotic stresses. Elucidating the biological role of these salicinoids will contribute to our understanding of tree resilience. The genes producing these enzymes will be genetically augmented to functionally test their biological roles. This information could then be harnessed to develop or breed trees able to cope in harsher environments. Further, to explore the mechanisms behind detoxification of these salicinoid metabolites in herbivores, I am working to perform metabolomics on different gut compartments of insects, post salicinoid consumption.

Education

BSc in Forest Science (Honours) | University of British Columbia, Canada (2024)

Selected Publications and Conference Presentations

Kaufman, N. J., You, J., Fox, B. G., and Mansfield, S. D. (2025). Populus salicinoids: A thriving subfield in the omics era. Tree Physiology, https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpaf065

You, J., Huang, X., Mansfield, S.D., Carroll, A.L., Wertman, D.L. Oregonin: a putative anti-phloeophagy compound in red alder (Betulaceae) – In review

Kaplen, M.V., You, J., Saunders, R., Unda, F., Mansfield, S.D., The Raffinose Family of Oligosaccharides Modulates Growth and Cell Wall Chemistry in Hybrid Poplar- 2025 International Conference on Plant Cell Wall Biology, Vancouver, Canada, July 2025

You, J., Huang, X., Mansfield, S.D., Carroll, A.L., Wertman, D.L., Oregonin: A Putative Anti-Phloeophagy Compound in Red Alder- Entomological Society of Canada- Entomological Society of Alberta Joint Annual Meeting, Calgary, Canada, October 2025

Awards, Grants, Scholarships

  • Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s (2025-2026)
  • BPOC Graduate Excellence Award (2024-2025)
  • UBC Four year fellowship- 4YF (2024-2028)
  • Graduating Class of Forestry 1957 Prize (2024)
  • Weldwood of Canada H Richard Whittall Scholarship (2023-2024)
  • William John Splan Scholarship (2022-2024)
  • Galt Elkington Memorial Scholarship (2022-2023)
  • Trek Excellence Scholarship for Continuing Students (2022-2023)
  • John E Bier Memorial Prize in Forest Pathology (2022)