Research Projects
The MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory gathers scientists with varied areas of expertise to tackle key problems too large to study in single, isolated labs. The projects below address some of today's most challenging scientific questions, with implications for renewables, food sustainability, and medical and industrial technologies.
Photosynthesis in real environments
Drought. Frost. Clouds. Photosynthesis has to adapt to ever-changing conditions. A team of six researchers studies photosynthesis under realistic environments so we can someday improve it.
Modeling the biological solar panel
A team of ten researchers holistically studies photosynthetic processes over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales and develop models that describe these interactions.
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Engineering biological modules inspired by nature
A team of four researchers seeks to understand the fundamentals of energy capture and conversion in cyanobacteria in order to engineer improvements in photosynthesis, create new renewable energy sources, or devise new compounds and molecular structures for medical or industrial uses.
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Additional research areas
In addition to the collaborative projects above, our labs individually research: algal biofuels, plant resistance to biotic and abiotic threats, secretory membrane dynamics, energy organelle dynamics, and more. For more information, visit our faculty page.
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