About

Daniel Wagner is an Associate Professor of BioSciences at Rice University. His laboratory investigates the function of essential elements required to execute vertebrate morphogenetic programs. Morphogenesis involves the processes by which cells move and change shape to transform a relatively featureless blastoderm into a recognizable vertebrate embryo. While embryonic patterning mechanisms have been studied in detail, morphogenesis remains poorly understood. Wagner's research focuses on analyzing early development of the zebrafish, Danio rerio, which serves as an excellent model due to its optical transparency, rapid development, and the availability of mutants with defective morphogenetic movements. In his work, Wagner has identified mutants defective in epiboly movements and anterior morphogenesis, using these mutants to dissect the mechanisms of morphogenetic movements. His approach combines genetic, molecular, and embryological techniques to determine the nature of mutations and the resulting defects. The immediate goals of his research are to identify the genes encoded by the mutant loci and to understand the specific defects caused by these mutations. By coupling the molecular identity of mutants with their phenotypic defects, Wagner aims to gain deep insights into the mechanisms of vertebrate morphogenesis. His research areas include the analysis of zebrafish embryo development to understand the genetic basis of cell differentiation and behavior, as well as the genetic regulation of developmental events such as epidermal differentiation, angiogenesis, and post-transcriptional regulation in the teleost yolk cell. His work also addresses the processes that are misregulated in human disease and explores the evolutionary plasticity that drives diversity. Wagner holds a B.A. in Biochemistry from the University of Texas (1990) and a Ph.D. from the Genes and Development Program at the University of Texas Health Science Center (1997).

Research topics

• Sociology
• Political Science
• Biology
• Zoology
• Environmental ethics
• Agronomy
• Environmental science
• Engineering ethics
• Law
• Public relations
• Materials science
• Engineering
• Ecology
• Evolutionary biology
• Medicine
• Computational biology
• Genetics

Selected publications

• Synthetic biology’s uncertain regulatory future in the wake of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo

  Nature Biotechnology · 2026-04-22

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Post‐flowering high night‐time temperature stress impacts physiology and starch metabolism in field‐grown maize

  Agrosystems Geosciences & Environment · 2024-06-27 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract The global average daily minimum temperatures are increasing at a quicker pace than the average daily maximum temperatures, which are predicted to increase in severity impacting global food production. This study focuses on elucidating the physiological and transcriptional response to high night‐time temperature (HNT) stress in 12 US commercial maize ( Zea mays ) hybrids using unique field‐based infrastructure. Our experimental objectives were to (i) impose an accurate and uniformly distributed post‐flowering HNT stress of +4.0°C until physiological maturity, (ii) quantify the impact of HNT stress on physiological and yield‐related traits, (iii) establish the impact on end‐use quality of maize kernels formed under HNT stress, and (iv) analyze the differential expression of genes involved in grain starch metabolism. Accurate and uniformly distributed HNT stress of 3.8°C higher than the ambient night‐time temperature throughout the grain‐filling period reduced yield (−14%), kernel weight (−8%), and significantly reduced kernel nutrient content, specifically magnesium in the susceptible hybrids. HNT significantly increased the expression of key genes involved in starch metabolism in the tolerant hybrid. Although HNT stress had a negative impact on yield and quality in field grown maize, two hybrids had physiological and transcriptional regulation that favored higher level of resilience which lays the platform for developing climate smart maize hybrids.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Field‐based infrastructure and cyber–physical system for the study of high night air temperature stress in irrigated rice

  The Plant Phenome Journal · 2023-11-20 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract High night air temperature (HNT) stress negatively impacts both rice ( Oryza sativa L) yield and grain quality and has been extensively investigated because of the significant yield loss observed (10%) for every increase in air temperature (1°C). Most of the rice HNT studies have been conducted under greenhouse conditions, with limited information on field‐level responses for the major rice sub‐populations. This is due to a lack of a field‐based phenotyping infrastructure that can accommodate a diverse set of accessions representing the wider germplasm and impose growth stage‐specific stress. In this study, we built six high‐tunnel greenhouses and screened 310 rice accessions from the Rice Diversity Panel 1 (RDP1) and 10 commercial hybrid cultivars in a replicated design. Each greenhouse had heating and a cyber–physical system that sensed ambient air temperature and automatically increased night air temperature to about 4°C relative to ambient temperature in the field for two cropping seasons. The system successfully imposed HNT stress of 4.0 and 3.94°C as recorded by Raspberry Pi sensors for 2 weeks in 2019 and 2020, respectively. HOBO sensors (Onset Computer Corporation) recorded a 2.9 and 2.07°C temperature differential of ambient air between control and heated greenhouses in 2019 and 2020, respectively. These greenhouses were able to withstand constant flooding, heavy rains, strong winds (140 mph), and thunderstorms. Selected US rice cultivars showed an average of 24% and 15% yield reduction under HNT during the 2019 and 2020 cropping seasons, respectively. Our study highlights the potential of this computer‐based infrastructure for accurate implementation of HNT or other abiotic stresses under field‐growing conditions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Grain micronutrient composition and yield components in field‐grown wheat are negatively impacted by high night‐time temperature

  Cereal Chemistry · 2021-12-31 · 15 citations

  article

  Abstract Background and objectives Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is highly vulnerable to heat stress during sensitive growth and developmental stages, including grain‐filling. The impact of high daytime heat stress on wheat yield and quality losses has been extensively investigated, while information related to high night‐time temperature (HNT) is limited. The major objective was to ascertain the changes in wheat grain macro‐ and micro‐nutrient composition and yield‐related parameters on exposure to HNT during grain‐filling. Twelve diverse genotypes were grown in field‐based custom‐built heat tents that allowed natural light and temperature conditions during the day and imposed stress overnight. Findings The field‐tents imposed a 3.2°C higher night‐time temperature compared to ambient conditions throughout the grain‐filling period. HNT stress reduced 200 grain weight by 1.9%, grain yield by 3.1%, seed starch content by 2.5%, and seed protein content by 3.6% per °C increase in HNT. Conclusions HNT had significant negative effect on grain macro‐ and micro‐nutrient content. However, starch and protein concentrations were differentially correlated with grain nutrients, with starch negatively correlated with many of the micronutrients under control and HNT. Significance and novelty This negative correlation highlights the imperative balance of seed micronutrient composition that needs to be maintained as efforts are intensified to enhance grain yield under favorable and warming environments.

  PublisherDOI

• A Novel System Architecture for Automated Field-Based Tent Systems for Controlled-Environment Agriculture

  2021 IEEE International Symposium on Smart Electronic Systems (iSES) · 2021-12-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Experimentation within the field of agronomy relies upon maintaining a controlled operating environment to determine various environmental factors’ effects upon a crop. These experiments are carried out in small growth chambers and can control limited variables such as light, temperature, and humidity. Space is a premium inside the chambers which limits the capacity for additional sensors and other equipment. Field conditions are more complex than a growth chamber, which makes it difficult to analyze the effect of factors in a more realistic scenario. In this paper, we propose a system architecture for a field-based controlled environment for agriculture and experimentation. First, the overall architecture is proposed for integrating a multitude of wired and wireless sensors, different controllers, small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), and actuators to assess and maintain environmental variables. Next, each component is detailed for its role and responsibilities within the system. Then, scientific applications of the system are proposed and explored before finally analyzing a case study implementation of the architecture.

  PublisherDOI

• Rethinking Human Embryo Research Policies

  The Hastings Center Report · 2021 · 21 citations

  • Political Science
  • Sociology
  • Political Science

  It now seems technically feasible to culture human embryos beyond the "fourteen-day limit," which has the potential to increase scientific understanding of human development and perhaps improve infertility treatments. The fourteen-day limit was adopted as a compromise but subsequently has been considered an ethical line. Does it remain relevant in light of technological advances permitting embryo maturation beyond it? Should it be changed and, if so, how and why? What justifications would be necessary to expand the limit, particularly given that doing so would violate some people's moral commitments regarding human embryos? Robust stakeholder engagement preceded adoption of the fourteen-day limit and should arguably be part of efforts to reassess it. Such engagement could also consider the need for enhanced oversight of human embryo research. In the meantime, developing and implementing reliable oversight systems should help foster high-quality research and public confidence in it.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Stem cell-based models of embryos: The need for improved naming conventions

  Stem Cell Reports · 2021 · 27 citations

  • Biology
  • Computational biology
  • Evolutionary biology

  Stem cell-based models of embryos are known by various names, with different naming conventions, leading to confusion regarding their composition and potential. We propose the need for a general term for the field to promote public engagement and the development of a systematic nomenclature system to differentiate between specific models.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Bombus Species Image Classification

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2020-06-09 · 3 citations

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Entomologists, ecologists and others struggle to rapidly and accurately identify the species of bumble bees they encounter in their field work and research. The current process requires the bees to be mounted, then physically shipped to a taxonomic expert for proper categorization. We investigated whether an image classification system derived from transfer learning can do this task. We used Google Inception, Oxford VGG16 and VGG19 and Microsoft ResNet 50. We found Inception and VGG classifiers were able to make some progress at identifying bumble bee species from the available data, whereas ResNet was not. Individual classifiers achieved accuracies of up to 23% for single species identification and 44% top-3 labels, where a composite model performed better, 27% and 50%. We feel the performance was most hampered by our limited data set of 5,000-plus labeled images of 29 species, with individual species represented by 59 -315 images.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Improved cyber-physical system captured post-flowering high night temperature impact on yield and quality of field grown wheat

  Scientific Reports · 2020 · 40 citations

  • Agronomy
  • Environmental science
  • Biology

  Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is essential to maintain food security for a large proportion of the world's population. With increased risk from abiotic stresses due to climate variability, it is imperative to understand and minimize the negative impact of these stressors, including high night temperature (HNT). Both globally and at regional scales, a differential rate of increase in day and night temperature is observed, wherein night temperatures are increasing at a higher pace and the trend is projected to continue into the future. Previous studies using controlled environment facilities and small field-based removable chambers have shown that post-anthesis HNT stress can induce a significant reduction in wheat grain yield. A prototype was previously developed by utilizing field-based tents allowing for simultaneous phenotyping of popular winter wheat varieties from US Midwest and advanced breeding lines. Hence, the objectives of the study were to (i) design and build a new field-based infrastructure and test and validate the uniformity of HNT stress application on a scaled-up version of the prototype (ii) improve and develop a more sophisticated cyber-physical system to sense and impose post-anthesis HNT stress uniformly through physiological maturity within the scaled-up tents; and (iii) determine the impact of HNT stress during grain filling on the agronomic and grain quality parameters including starch and protein concentration. The system imposed a consistent post-anthesis HNT stress of + 3.8 °C until maturity and maintained uniform distribution of stress which was confirmed by (i) 0.23 °C temperature differential between an array of sensors within the tents and (ii) statistically similar performance of a common check replicated multiple times in each tent. On average, a reduction in grain-filling duration by 3.33 days, kernel weight by 1.25% per °C, grain number by 2.36% per °C and yield by 3.58% per °C increase in night temperature was documented. HNT stress induced a significant reduction in starch concentration indicating disturbed carbon balance. The pilot field-based facility integrated with a robust cyber-physical system provides a timely breakthrough for evaluating HNT stress impact on large diversity panels to enhance HNT stress tolerance across field crops. The flexibility of the cyber-physical system and movement capabilities of the field-based infrastructure allows this methodology to be adaptable to different crops.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• MOESM3 of Integrating field-based heat tents and cyber-physical system technology to phenotype high night-time temperature impact on winter wheat

  Figshare · 2019-01-01

  datasetOpen access

  Additional file 3. Thermostat Controller Python Script.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R21NS085688

  NIH · $436k · 2017

• NIH Grant F32GM019803

  NIH · $69k

• NIH Grant R01GM077429

  NIH · $1.3M · 2012

Frequent coauthors

• Mary C. Mullins

  University of Pennsylvania

  10 shared

• Ekaterina Y. Lukianova‐Hleb

  Rice University

  9 shared

• Roland Dosch

  University of Göttingen

  8 shared

• Mitchell Neilsen

  Kansas State University

  7 shared

• Dmitri O. Lapotko

  7 shared

• S. V. Krishna Jagadish

  Texas Tech University

  7 shared

• Nathan T. Hein

  Kansas State University

  7 shared

• William H. Klein

  7 shared

Education

• Postdoctoral, Anatomy and Cell Biology

  University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

  2003

• PhD Genes and Development, MDACC Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

  University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston

  1997

• BA Biochemistry, Chemistry

  University of Texas at Austin

  1990