Ronald, PhD ’90, is recognized for pioneering work on disease resistance and environmental stress tolerance in rice.
Rausser College 2022 Photo contest
Enter the Rausser College story photo contest! Submit your best images by February 28 for a chance to win prizes and to have your work featured in College publications and social media.
Understanding how plants can grow in high magnesium environments
Research from the lab of Sheng Luan helps explain how some plants could tolerate the magnesium levels found in inhospitable places like California’s serpentine soils—or even on Mars.
Lost in translation
PMB graduate student Leah Gulyas explores how one tiny coronavirus protein blockades host cells—and how a few simple changes can flip the script.
CRISPRing the microbiome is just around the corner
CRISPR is widely used to target specific cell types, but only one at a time. Two new techniques developed in the lab of Jill Banfield allow CRISPR editing of genes in multiple cell types simultaneously.
Understanding why some “fire-loving” fungi thrive after wildfire
In a new study, which was featured in the New York Times, PMB researchers uncover a food source that allows some fungi to flourish after a fire.
PMB faculty recognized for number of citations
The Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher 2021 list includes PMB’s Sheng Luan, Kris Niyogi, and Igor Grigoriev.
The pen is mightier than the pipette
PMB Graduate student Lauren Hamm interviewed science communicators on the dos and don’ts of sharing research with the public.
Student Spotlight: Nicholas Karavolias
Ph.D. candidate Karavolias uses CRISPR/Cas and other genetic tools to understand the genes that regulate the development and operation of stomata in rice varieties.
RIPE Project featured by BBC
Professor Krishna Niyogi and his lab are collaborators on the project, which works to improve plant photosynthesis and increase yields for farmers worldwide.
Engineering a hungry bacterium to protect public health
Professor Dr. Cecilia Martinez-Gomez and Dr. Nathan Good have used their research to engineer bacteria that removes gadolinium from medical waste.
Q&A with Alum Siwen Deng
Deng, PhD ’19 Plant Biology, is Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Sundial Foods. Deng is featured in this Breakthroughs magazine Q&A with alumni who work in alternative meats.
Why I Do Science: Sabeeha Merchant
In the fall issue of Breakthroughs magazine, Professor Sabeeha Merchant reflects on her career studying the biology of trace metals in plants.
Little bacteria in a big world: Making sense of microbial sensing
A new discovery from the Portnoy lab helps scientists understand how food-borne pathogens know when they’ve reached their target.
Ksenia Krasileva receives National Institutes of Health New Innovator Award
The grant is part of NIH’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program.
Welcoming Patrick Shih to PMB
Patrick Shih specializes in synthetic biology, biochemistry, metabolic engineering, and evolutionary biology.
![Tom Gordon [to be finished]](https://plantandmicrobiology.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/styles/news_river/public/gordon.jpg?itok=grU3DJxU)
In Memoriam: Tom Gordon
Tom Gordon, a professor of plant pathology from 1985-1996, passed away in June.
Why Sunflowers Face East
Research co-authored by scientists in the Blackman Lab explains how sunlight orientation is linked to pollination and plant reproduction.
Evolutionary arms race
In a study published in the journal Science, members of the Seed lab unlock genetic mechanisms behind cholera and its viruses.
Sophia Ewens highlighted by U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science
Ewens, a researcher at the Energy Biosciences Institute and graduate student in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, was noted for her recent publication in the journal PNAS.