Plant genomes hold the key to current global issues such as the future of food security and mitigating climate change. To this end, the Plant Genomics Research program at NYU Biology exploits and develops cutting edge tools in Genomics, Bioinformatics & Systems Biology to uncover the mechanisms that enable plants to develop, grow, adapt and evolve to their environment.
There are four main interconnected areas of Plant Genomic Research:
- Plant Developmental Genetics/Genomics
- Plant Systems Biology/Gene Regulatory Networks
- Plant Evolutionary Genomics/Crop Domestication
- Plant Resilience/Response to Environment
Our research in Plant Genomics spans from the model plant Arabidopsis and its natural variants to crop plant varieties and the genomes of plants spanning the major plant clades. We approach plant biology at all levels from the single-cell level to the whole organism, using a combination of genomic, bioinformatic, phylogenomic and systems biology approaches.
The Plant Genomics labs are based in our Center for Genomics and Systems Biology at 12 Waverly Place. In addition to the state-of-the-art Genome Core Facilities and Bioinformatics and computational capacity, our Plant Genome research program includes 10 walk-in plant growth chambers and the Irene Sohn Zegar Greenhouse, which enables genomic studies of crops – including rice, maize and Brachypodium - for agricultural benefit.
We collaborate with scientists at NYU Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, as well with national and international colleagues at The New York Botanical Garden, The American Museum of Natural History, Cold Spring Harbor Labs and the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines.
Our Plant Genomic research programs are funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the NY State Stem Cell Fund and the Zegar Family Foundation.