Plant Systems: Cell Biology & Genomics

Why study plants?

Plant biology research is entering an exciting new era at the frontier of scientific discovery, contributing significantly to solving major societal and environmental challenges and receiving substantial funding from the government and private investment.

Plants have long provided oxygen, food, fiber, fuel, minerals, and medicines for human and animals. Basic plant research is increasingly essential for generating knowledge that will improve the environment, provide renewable energy, sustain our food supply, and produce new medicines.

Plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa (rice), populus, Fragaria vesca (diploid strawberry), Physcomitrella patens (moss) have become excellent and diverse model systems for addressing fundamental questions on plant growth, development, signaling, defense,and evolution.

Why study plants at the University of Maryland?

Graduate education in plant biology at Maryland offers several unique advantages.

• We have a prominent group of faculty members who are addressing fundamental questions and practical problems in both model systems and plants of economic importance. Organisms range from single-celled algae to moss and to flowering plants. Our research utilizes state-of-the-art-technologies and approaches ranging from microscopy and genetics to the next-generation sequencing, synthetic biology, and bioinformatics. Students will have ample opportunities to rotate, experience, and select the right lab and your favorite plant model for your Ph.D. thesis research.
• We are located in the suburbs of Washington D.C., with easy access to the USDA Beltsville research labs, Smithsonian Institution, NIH, J. Craig Venter Institute, National Arboretum, Food & Drug Administration, and NASA and ample opportunity for collaborations.