Professor Patrick Shih is part of a Department of Energy-funded team led by University of Georgia researchers to reengineer poplar trees into biofuel.
New student organization for Queer graduate students
Rausser College graduate students have formed a new group to foster community for peers that identify as Queer or LGBTQ+
New findings detail alternative immune pathways in duckweed species
Antimicrobial genes in the small, invasive plant species may help improve disease resistance in rice and wheat.
UC Berkeley, Berkeley Lab researchers receive $11.6 million in Department of Energy funding
The award will support research to develop biofuel and bioproducts from photosynthetic micro-alga by PMB professors Sabeeha Merchant and Krishna Niyogi, and research biologist Melissa Roth.
Protein structures aren’t set in stone
New research on plant enzymes by Professor Patrick Shih and PhD student Albert Liu Study shows that proteins can change their structural arrangement with surprising ease.
Professor Aaron Leichty joins Plant and Microbial Biology
Join us in welcoming Leichty and other new Rausser College faculty.
Bioengineering better photosynthesis
Krishna Niyogi and Nina Maryn are collaborators on first-of-its-kind research that used improved photosynthesis to increase yields in food crops for the first time ever.
The small alga with a big impact
PMB Professor Sabeeha Merchant breaks down the impact of sequencing the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii genome.
Interview: Ksenia Krasileva
Krasileva discusses her background, her passions, and her research on plant innate immunity in this piece by the Innovative Genomics Institute.
A visit to the lab with PhD candidate Luis Valentin-Alvarado
Valentin-Alvarado breaks down his research for the Spanish-speaking community in this new video produced by Science at Cal.
Understanding Plant Immune Systems Informs the Past and the Future
In a recent Wonderfest event, grad student Chandler Sutherland discusses plant and human immune systems, and how we can defend agricultural crops against disease.
CRISPR Crops: Food, Farms, and the Shape of Plants to Come
In a recent Wonderfest event grad student Evan Groover discussed how gene editing technology can meet the needs of a growing human population and a warming world.
Understanding the “romantic journey” of plant reproduction
A breakthrough study by PMB Professor Sheng Luan uncovers how peptide emissions and calcium signals serve as “love notes” during the plant fertilization process.
Can CRISPR help us deal with climate change?
PMB researchers are at the forefront of CRISPR research to help plants thrive in a changing climate and sequester carbon in the soil.
PMB faculty to co-lead new carbon storage initiatives at Innovative Genomics Institute
Work by Professors Krishna Niyogi, Peggy Lemaux, Jill Banfield, and Brian Staskawicz will be supported by an $11 million commitment from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
PMB Alumni + Student Voices Newsletter
The spring 2022 edition of our newsletter features alumni profiles, a brief history of the department, class notes, and more.
Energy & Biosciences Institute renews partnership with Shell
The continued research agreement will enable further research that can make next-generation fuels a competitive, sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.
Ben Williams named 2022 Hellman Fellow
The program supports junior faculty research across the UC system.
Two PMB undergraduates honored with departmental awards
Nada Lamie and Kenneth Trang are recognized for excellence in undergraduate studies.
Deciphering Microbial Mysteries
PMB graduate students Basem Al-Shayeb and Luis Valentin-Alvarado were featured in Breakthroughs magazine for their research that is helping reshape our understanding of the bacterial world.