Plant Systems Biology
The graduate program in Plant Systems Biology is composed of 16 faculty members that share a fundamental interest in understanding molecular, cellular and developmental processes in plants.
Powerful new methods in molecular genetics, biochemistry, and genomics are applied to analyze nearly every process in plants, such as growth and development, environmental and biotic stresses, photosynthesis, nuclear-organelle interactions, gene expression, DNA repair/recombination, and epigenetic phenomena.
The faculty research interests overlap in these areas and there is much interaction between the various groups. Because of these wide diversity in faculty interests, prospective students are encouraged to pursue the application process regardless of their prior areas of study within the biological sciences.
The program's goal is to provide students with the background and training appropriate for a career in academics, government, or the private sector.
Our graduate curriculum includes two introductory seminars, a set of core courses to be completed within the first year, and initial research training through laboratory rotations. In consultation with faculty advisers, students develop the remainder of their course program and choose a research topic according to their interests and career goals.
Further Information
Graduate Training in Plant Systems Biology
Core Faculty
| Faculty Member | Research Interests |
|---|---|
| Zoya Avramova | Relationship between chromatin structure and gene function in animal & plants |
| Paul Blum | Molecular chaperones, thermophilic biology and metabolic engineering |
| Heriberto Cerutti | Epigenetic silencing of nuclear transgenes |
| Alan Christensen | Plant mitochondrial genetics |
| Thomas Elthon | Function of plant mitochondria; plant responses to the environment |
| Sally Mackenzie | Plant mitochondrial genetics, nuclear-mitochondrial genetic interactions, genomics in legume species |
| Etsuko Moriyama | Bioinformatics; molecular evolution; and molecular population genetics |
| T. Jack Morris | Virus diseases of plants; molecular genetics of plant viruses |
| John Osterman | Gene structure and function in maize and Arabidopsis |
Associated Faculty
| Faculty Member | Research Interests |
|---|---|
| Jim Alfano | Interactions of bacterial pathogens with plants |
| Ray Chollet | Regulatory protein phosphorylation in plants, Plant protein kinases and phosphatases, Photosynthetic/metabolic plant enzymes, Plant Biochemistry |
| Thomas Clemente | Functional genomics & genetic engineering of plant germplasm |
| Michael Fromm | Stress signaling and improvement of drought and salt tolerance of plants |
| Steven Harris | Regulation of morphogenesis in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans |
| Amit Mitra | Vector, Plant Transformation |
| Paul Staswick | Plant Hormone Metabolism, Hormone Signaling, Disease resistance, Regulation of gene expression, Transgenic plants |
| Julie Stone | Molecular mechanisms controlling programmed cell death (PDC) in plants |
| Jim Van Etten | Viruses of Eukaryotic Algae |
