Kristopher Abney

Kris is a native of Hendersonville, TN. He attended the University of Tennessee-Knoxville receiving a bachelor of science in Biochemistry Cellular & Molecular Biology. As a UT undergraduate, Kris’s research projects involved raising capsaicin levels in hot pepper plants by modulating phenylpropanoid and branched chain fatty acid pathways and decreasing senescence with application of 1-methylcyclopropene. He also explored the role of different wavelengths of light on phytonutrient production. Kris joined Dr Vanacore’s lab after completing his first year as a graduate student in the school of graduate studies and research at Meharry College of Medicine.