Plant Biology Faculty at Stanford

Kathy Barton

Staff Scientist, Carnegie Institution, Department of Plant Biology

Professor by Courtesy, Biological Sciences, Stanford University

 

Research interests: Determining how stem cells in the plant meristem make leaves. The role of post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in plant development.

• Research topics: development, gene regulation, genomics, genetics
• Species studied: Arabidopsis thaliana

 

Dominique Bergmann

Professor, Biological Sciences, Stanford University
Honorary Adjunct Staff Scientist, Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Plant Biology

Research interests: Cell fate specification during plant development, primarily focused on the asymmetric divisions that generate stomata in the leaf epidermis and lateral roots from the pericycle. We currently study the local cell--cell interactions that orient cell divisions and mechanisms by which cells polarize their divisions, but are also interested in understanding how cells integrate local signals with long-range environmental signals to optimize stomatal pattern and density for photosynthetic efficiency and plant growth.

• Research topics: development, cell biology, signal transduction, genetics, genomics
• Species studied: Arabidopsis thaliana and other species as appropriate

 

Devaki Bhaya

Adjunct Staff Scientist, Carnegie Institution, Department of Plant Biology

Research interests: Molecular basis of phototaxis in cyanobacteria; signal transduction networks; type IV pilus mediated motility; comparative and functional genomics in cyanobacteria

• Research topics: genetics, genomics, gene regulation, evolution, photosynthesis, environment
• Species studied: Synechocystis sp., Anabaena sp., Synechococcus sp.

 

Winslow Briggs

Emeritus Director, Carnegie Institution, Department of Plant Biology
Professor, Biological Sciences, Stanford University

• Research topics: biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, photomorphogenesis, signal transduction
• Species studied: Arabidopsis thaliana and others as appropriate.

 

David Ehrhardt

Staff Scientist, Carnegie Institution, Department of Plant Biology
Associate Professor by Courtesy, Biological Sciences, Stanford University

Plant Cell Imaging

Research interests: We are using fluorescent molecular tags combined with laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) to vizualize live plant cells and plant cell components.

 

Matt Evans

Adjunct Staff Scientist, Carnegie Institution, Department of Plant Biology

Research interests: Interactions between maternal effect and zygotic effect mutations during maize seed development and Teosinte crossing barrier1, a locus governing hybridiztion of teosinte with maize.

• Species studied: Maize

 

Wolf B. Frommer

Staff Scientist, Carnegie Institution, Department of Plant Biology
Professor, Biological Sciences, Stanford University

Research interests: Mechanisms controlling the transport of sugars and amino acids between cells and organs (e.g. sugar sensing). Macromolecule transport between cells via plasmodesmata. Development of nanosensors for in vivo imaging of metabolites.

 

Arthur Grossman

 

Staff Scientist, Carnegie Institution, Department of Plant Biology
Professor by Courtesy, Biological Sciences, Stanford University

 

Research interests: Genomics; acclimation of photosynthetic organisms to environmental conditions; Photoperception and signal transduction; Acquisition and utilization of nutrients.

• Research topics: genomics, genetics, gene regulation, metabolism, photosynthesis, environment
• Microbes and photosynthetic organisms studied: Synechocystis Pcc6803, Porchlorococcus ProMed4, Prochlorococcus 9313, Chlamydomans reinhardtii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Arabidopsis thaliana

 

Martin Jonikas

Staff Associate, Carengie Institution, Department of Plant Biology

Research interests: Photosynthesis provides energy for most life on Earth, and as humans increasingly change this planet it is essential that we understand this process and the organisms which perform it. Our lab aims to dramatically accelerate our understanding of photosynthesis by applying novel functional genomics strategies to the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

• Research topics: photosynthesis, carbon concentration, lipid biogenesis, genetics, molecular biology, cell biology
• Species studied: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Sharon R. Long

Professor, Biological Sciences, Stanford University
Honorary Adjunct Staff Scientist, Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Plant Biology

Research interests: Cell signaling between bacterial symbionts and host plants; genetics and functional genomics of Rhizobium; symbiotic nitrogen fixation; gene expression

• Research topics: biochemistry, genetics, genomics, gene regulation, plant-microbe interaction, symbiosis, development, differentiation, cell cycle
• Species studied: Sinorhizobium meliloti, other rhizobia, Medicago sativa (alfalfa), Medicago truncatula

 

Mary Beth Mudgett

 

Professor, Biological Sciences, Stanford University
Honorary Adjunct Staff Scientist, Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Plant Biology

 

Research interests: Molecular and biochemical basis of plant-pathogen interactions, cell-to-cell communication, bacterial type III protein secretion, type III effector function, plant disease resistance, plant localized cell death.

• Research topics: plant-microbe interaction, host-pathogen interaction, genetics, genomics, signal transduction.
• Species studied: Pseudomonas syringae, Xanthomonas campestris, Arabidopsis thaliana, tomato 

 

Sue Rhee

Director and Staff Scientist, Carnegie Insititution, Department of Plant Biology
Associate Professor by Courtesy, Biological Sciences, Stanford University

 

Research interests: I am interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of how complex systems such as metabolic networks are organized, regulated, function, and evolve. My lab develops computer-based intrastructures to integrate all information known about plant metabolic systems t in order to develop methods and algorithms for predicting complex behaviors such as responses to temperature, water and nutrient availability, and light.

• Research topics: metabolic network function and evolution, genetic and molecular architectures of adaptive traits, systematic discovery of transcriptional regulators, systematic discovery of signal transduction pathways
• Research methods: bioinformatics, cell biology, computational biology, environmental stress physiology, evolution, genomics, global gene expression, metabolomics, network modeling, proteomics, quantitative genetics, synthetic biology, systems biology
• Species studied: All plants (with an emphasis on model plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Brachypodium distachyon, Seteria viridis, Solanum lycopersicum, and Lemna gibba)

 

Elizabeth Sattely

 

Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, Stanford University
Honorary Adjunct Staff Scientist, Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Plant Biology

 

Research Interests: plant metabolism, specifically the production of energy rich biopolymers and other biologically active small molecules—some of which have clinical uses or energy applications.

• Research topics: biochemistry, metabolic engineering, metabolomics, synthetic biology, genomics
• Species studied: Arabidopsis, tomato, medicinal plants

 

Ginny Walbot

Professor, Biological Sciences, Stanford University
Honorary Adjunct Staff Scientist, Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Plant Biology

Research Interests: Molecular and developmental regulaton of the MuDR/Mu transposons of maize, using genetically engineered transposons to define maize gene function and to study transposon regulation. Impact of UV-B on maize and MuDR/Mu elements.

• Research topics: biochemistry, development, environmental stress, evolution, gene expression, gene regulation, genetics, genomics
• Species studied: Maize, with other species (e.g. Petunia, Arabidopsis) as appropriate 

 

Zhiyong Wang

Staff Scientist, Carnegie Institution, Department of Plant Biology
Associate Professor by Courtesy, Biological Sciences, Stanford University

Research Interests: Research in my laboratory focuses on molecular genetic and proteomic studies of the brassinosteroid (BR) signal transduction pathways in the model plant system Arabidopsis thaliana.

• Research topics: biochemistry, cell biology, genetics , genomics, proteomics, signal transduction
• Species studied: Arabidopsis thaliana