
Ye (Juliet) Chu, Lab P.I.
Connect with Dr. Chu: Email | Profile | Google Scholar
Technical Support

Tracey Cook
Research Technician
Email: tcalvert@uga.edu
Prior to joining the Blueberry Breeding Program, Tracey Cook had the privilege and honor of managing the University of Georgia’s Dairy Research Center, consisting of 250 milking head of cattle.
She has enjoyed learning and accepting the responsibilities of managing field operations, green houses, nursery, and assisting with lab work. Along with those responsibilities, she also manages the inventory, vehicles, and student labor for the Blueberry Breeding Program.
Ph.D. Students

Sindoora Nalajala
Ph.D. Student
Email: sindoora.nalajala@uga.edu
Sindoora Nalajala graduated with a M.S in Genetics and Plant Breeding from Central Agricultural University, India. She joined Dr. Chu’s lab in January 2024. She was a research fellow in Groundnut Genetics and breeding at International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), India prior joining Chu’s lab.
Her research mainly focuses on broadening genetic base and biotic stress resistance in Blueberries.
M.S. Students
Alumni

Emily Walter
Emily Walter graduated with a B.S in Plant Sciences from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
She joined Dr. Chu’s lab in August 2023 and graduated with a M.S. in Horticulture in July 2025.
Her research was focused on using tissue culture to increase the ploidy level in blueberry varieties which lead to two peer-reviewed publications
- Walter, E., P.M. Lyrene, and Y. Chu. 2025. Polyploidy induction of wild diploid blueberry V. fuscatum. Horticulturae 11:921.
- Walter, E., A. Biswal, P. Ozias-Akins, and Y. Chu. 2025. Leaf organogenesis improves recovery of solid polyploid shoots from chimeric southern highbush blueberry. BioTech 14:48.