Plant and Microbial Innovation

The Plant and Microbial Innovation research theme consists of an interdisciplinary group of investigators from the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Microbiology. This group combines expertise in functional genomics, systems and computational biology, with cellular imaging, biochemistry, microbial and plant physiology, evolution and genetics to address key problems in renewable energy, climate change, sustainability, and food security. The research theme spans both basic and translational research. Emerging areas of research within the theme include specialized plant metabolites, the microbiome, and natural diversity of crop relatives, with broad relevance to therapeutics for human health and crop improvement with regard to yield, defense against pathogens and abiotic stress.

 

Plant and Microbial Innovation

Contact Info

Li-Jun Ma, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
(413) 545-1205
lijun@biochem.umass.edu

Fact Sheet