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Plant Biology Program |
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Graduate Student Coordinator: Melissa Torres
Plant Biology Faculty Director: Tuan-Hua David Ho
Plant Biology Program Website
Plant Biology Program Guidelines
Request Ph.D. Admssions Information
The Program in Plant Biology at Washington University provides training in the use of plants, mosses, algae, and photosynthetic prokaryotes as experimental organisms to address fundamental biological questions.
Plants are remarkable organisms, and these are exciting times in which to study their unique biology. Plant biology is moving into a new phase, fueled by genomics and the expansion of experimental tools and resources. Unprecedented opportunities exist at Washington University to pursue research questions and training in plant genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, development, molecular evolution, physiology, and epigenetics. The faculty and Ph.D. Program in Plant Biology at Washington University enjoy a strong reputation in all of these disciplines.
Saint Louis is an important and expanding center for plant research. Students in the Plant Biology Program at Washington University benefit from integration into the extensive biomedical research community at Washington University and from partnerships with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and with Monsanto Company, a leader in plant biotechnology. Students who are primarily interested in plant population biology, taxonomy, systematics, economic botany, ecology or conservation biology should apply to the Evolution, Ecology and Population Biology Program at Washington University, which enjoys strong ties with the Missouri Botanical Garden.
For information regarding career paths and complete program guidelines, click here.
Program of Study
During their first year, students take courses and complete three laboratory rotations prior to choosing the laboratory in which to complete the Ph.D. thesis research. Core courses for the Plant Biology Program are:
From Seed to Senescence: the Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology of Plants (Bio 4028)
Nucleic Acids and Protein Biosynthesis (Bio 548)
How Plants Work: Physiology, Growth and Metabolism (Bio 4023)
Ethics and Research Science (Bio 5011)
Seminar in Plant Biology; critical reading of the plant literature, two semesters required (Bio 572)
In addition to the core requirements, students take at least six credits of advanced electives (400 level or higher) that facilitate specialization in their area of interest. Relevant, popular courses include:
Fundamentals of Molecular Cell Biology (Bio 5068)
Plant Cells and Protein Laboratory (Bio 4024)
Advanced Genetics (Bio 5491)
Developmental Biology (Bio 5352)
Molecular Microbiology & Pathogenesis (Bio 5392)
All Plant Biology graduate students are expected to attend and participate in: Plant Lunch, held every Tuesday at noon; the annual Plant Biology Retreat held in the Fall; and relevant biology seminars sponsored by the Biology Department or by the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences. In addition, all Pant Biology graduate students should make an effort to attend the seminar series at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
For more information about the Plant Biology Program, click here to reach an additional website. |
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 | Resource Faculty |
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| William F. Pickard, Ph.D. - Controls and mechanisms of long distance transport in plants. Bioelectromagnetics. Sustainable energy. | |
| Daniel P. Schachtman, Ph.D. - Regulation of nutrient uptake and root sensing of nutrient deficiency and drought | |
| Training Faculty |
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| Wayne M. Barnes, Ph.D. - Improvements to DNA technology, applied to plant genetic engineering. | |
| Roger N. Beachy, Ph.D. - Molecular and cellular basis of virus infection: Control via biotechnology. | |
| Robert E. Blankenship, Ph.D. - Molecular mechanisms of energy storage in photosynthetic systems. | |
| Thomas B. Croat, Ph.D. - Systematics and ecology of Araceae. | |
| Ram Dixit, Ph.D. - Molecular mechanisms of cytoskeleton organization and function | |
| Susan K. Dutcher, Ph.D. - Cilia, cytokinesis, tubulin superfamily, microtubules, cell division, obesity, ciliary signaling. | |
| Memory P. Elvin-Lewis, Ph.D. - Understanding the therapeutic value and safety parameters of medicinal plants and dietary supplements. Evaluating evolving international policies, regulations and laws, which govern the use of herbal medicines. | |
| Gayle J. Fritz, Ph.D. - Analysis of archeological plant remains; evolution of agricultural societies; subsistence and cultural change. | |
| Ursula W. Goodenough, Ph.D. - Molecular genetics and evolution of sex in Chlamydomonas. | |
| Elizabeth S. Haswell, Ph.D. - Mechanotransduction in plants. | |
| Tuan-Hua David Ho, Ph.D. - Hormone and stress-regulated gene expression and function of stress proteins. | |
| Jan G. Jaworski, Ph.D. - Biosynthesis and metabolism of plant fatty acids and lipids | |
| Joseph M. Jez, Ph.D. - Structural biology and biochemistry of plants | |
| Tiffany M. Knight, Ph.D. - Role of interspecific interactions on plant population dynamics. | |
| Robert G. Kranz, Ph.D. - Gene regulation and biogenesis of extracellular components in bacteria. | |
| Barbara N. Kunkel, Ph.D. - Molecular genetic analysis of disease development in Pseudomonas syringae-Arabidopsis interactions. | |
| Toni M. Kutchan, Ph.D. - Plant natural product biosynthesis and metabolic engineering of medicinal plants. | |
| Kenneth M. Olsen, Ph.D. - Plant evolutionary genetics, molecular population genetics, genetics of adaptation, phylogeography. | |
| Himadri B. Pakrasi, Ph.D. - Systems Biology of photosynthetic organisms. | |
| Ralph S. Quatrano, Ph.D. - Mechanisms in establishing cell polarity and regulatory gene expression in plants. | |
| Peter H. Raven, Ph.D. - Systematics and evolution of Onagraceae and Myrtales, phytogeography, tropical floristics and conservation. | |
| P. Mick Richardson, Ph.D. - Plant secondary compounds; taxonomy; cladistics; evolution of toxic compounds. | |
| Mark P. Running, Ph.D. - Genetic studies of flower development and meristem function. | |
| Jan Salick, Ph.D. - Ethnobotany is the interactions among plants, peoples, and their environments in either ecological or evolutionary time. | |
| Barbara A. Schaal, Ph.D. - Evolutionary genetics and systematics of plants. | |
| Weixiong Zhang, Ph.D. - Computational approaches to elucidating transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation underlying complex human diseases and plant stress tolerance. | |
| (Not Categorized) |
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| Rainer W. Bussmann, Ph.D. - Agricultural origins; ecology; Ethnobotany; medicinal plants; paleoethnobotany; plant biology | |
The following faculty member also participates in the Plant Biology Program:
Susan Dutcher, PhD - Cilia, cytokinesis, tubulin superfamily, microtubules, cell division, obesity, ciliary signaling.
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