Graduate School of Agriculture, Division of Applied Biosciences Associate Professor
Plants do not live in isolation; they host a rich diversity of microbes. Among these plant-associated microbes, bacteria are the most diverse, rainging from pathogens that cause diseases to mutualists that benefit plants. I am interested in understanding how plants and bacteria have co-evolved through their interactions. Since environmental adaptation is a key driver of evolutionary processes, I am particularly interested in how plant-bacteria interactions are shaped by the surrounding environment. For instance, bacterial disease outbreaks are often associated with warm and humid conditions, yet the molecular mechanisms behind these biological phenomena are not well understood. By disentangling how high temperature and high humidity affect both the plant and the bacteria during an active interaction, I aim to design plant protection measures that are resilient to climate change. Additionally, I am curious about how a plant and its resident bacteria co-adapt to the surrounding environment. My research combines cutting-edge techniques in plant molecular genetics and molecular microbiology with bioinformatics such as functional genomics and network analysis.
Here are some keywords regarding my research: plant-bacteria interactions, stomata, plant immunity, phytohormones, environmental response, regulation of gene expression, genome assembly, RNA sequencing. If you are interested in my research, please feel free to contact me.