Graduate Faculty | Plant Biology | SIU

My research involves studying the biosynthesis of plant constituents that have medicinal or industrial uses. We employ multidisciplinary techniques in phytochemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry and tissue culture to understand how the production of plant natural products is controlled. ...read full profile >>

Joint appointment in the School of Agricultural Sciences and School of Biological Sciences. The Cannabis Biology and Cultivation Systems lab focuses on areas of controlled environment agriculture, plant secondary metabolites, nutraceutical/pharmaceutical biology, and growing practices. We are ...read full profile >>

Dr. Gage holds a cross-appointment between the College of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Soil and Agricultural Systems and the College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences, Plant Biology program.  She has experience working with weed management research, planning and ...read full profile >>

Biology is now an information science, as DNA and protein sequences are digital, and data collected can be manipulated by decryption and database software. I use a novel combination of data mining software and high-throughput whole genome expression analysis to match cis-regulatory elements in ...read full profile >>

Dr. Jayakody holds a cross-appointment between the College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences, Plant Biology and Microbiology programs and the Fermentation Science Institute. Research Interests: The growing concerns of petroleum-based fuels and chemicals on global climate change and ...read full profile >>

My lab investigates plant systematic questions, both floristically and taxonomically focused.  Because evolution is the central unifying process of biology, the use of phylogenetic methods can give us an evolutionary perspective for interpreting variation in morphology, biogeography, ...read full profile >>

My research focuses on the evolution of plant-insect interactions, specifically interactions between bees and their pollen and nectar host plants. I integrate both the botanical and entomological aspects of these interactions; I also address conservation implications of these interactions. My ...read full profile >>

I am broadly interested in plant evolutionary ecology, and I currently study factors that drive trait variation at various spatial and temporal scales. Flowering plants provide an astounding template for studies of trait variation. For example, plant mating strategies have been the ...read full profile >>

The molecular, cellular and biochemical responses of plants to water-deficit stress is the central, and long-term, interest of my research program. My laboratory is pursuing a two-pronged strategy, one basic and one applied, with the ultimate goal of improving drought-tolerance and yield ...read full profile >>