Research Director

Outline

Plant diseases caused by pathogens pose a serious threat to global food security. This situation will likely get worse due to global warming and increase in rainfall. In this research project, plant and pathogen transcriptome dynamics will be analyzed to elucidate the mechanisms by which high temperature and high humidity influence the outcomes of plant-pathogen interactions. These molecular insights will be exploited to design disease resistance that withstands high temperature and high humidity associated with climate change.