- Department
- Email Address
- [email protected]
- Research Areas
- Research Keywords
- Research Description
My lab focusses on understanding the production and structure of starch, primarily in seeds of cereals such as maize, barley, rice, and wheat. This is important not only for seed production, but also for human wellbeing, since different types of starch can provide health benefits.
- Research Summary
Much of our current effort is focused on understanding the regulation of starch synthesis in storage tissues such as the developing seeds of cereals. Starch is the major determinant of yield in such crops, and has wide application in both the food and non-food industries, yet there remain a huge number of unknowns in what limits the production and structure of this important glucan polymer. There is also an increasing realization that different types of starch provide benefits for human health. Our research covers cereals such as maize, barley, rice, and wheat, as well as the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. I lead a large, interdisciplinary team whose expertise includes plant biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, microbiology, human physiology, and nutrition.
- Techniques Used
The techniques we use to address these questions include proteomic technologies (such as mass spectrometry), bioinformatics, and protein isolation and organelle purification coupled with genetic modification.
- Locations of international collaborators
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (Germany); Akita Prefectural University (Japan); CSIRO (Australia); International Rice Research Institute (Phillipines); University of Auckland (New Zealand); University of Minnesota); Université de Lille, Université Grenoble Alpes (France).
- Links