Our Research Vision

Plants are Nature's Master Chemists - They produce a staggering diversity of small molecule metabolites to survive, thrive and communicate in a constantly changing environment for life spans of up to several hundred years. Among these metabolites, terpenoids form the largeste group with essential functions in plant development, ecological adaptation and fitness. Many terpenoids are also valued as therapeutics, food additives, fragrances, biofuels and other bio-based products of everyday modern life. Our group seeks to decode the genomic and biochemical features that contribute to the vast natural variation of plant specialized (also termed secondary) metabolism, and translate this knowledge into innovative biotechnology applications to meet the needs of society for food, bioenergy and bioproducts. To help realize this vision, we investigate the diversity and biological functions of terpenoid metabolism in food, biofuel and medicinal plants. We integrate genomics-enabled gene discovery with metabolomics and various genetic, protein biochemical and structure-function approaches to gain insight into the often lineage-specific evolutionary diversification, molecular organization and biological relevance of terpenoid metabolism. The portfolio of newly-discovered genes, enzymes and pathways forms the foundation to harness plants' chemical ingenuity by developing new avenues for sustainable crop production and bioproduct manufacture.  

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