Through advanced imaging techniques, biochemistry, and gene expression analyses, I work to understand the mechanisms of how plants adapt to changes in the environment.

(1) Mechanisms of Plant Motion and Growth 　Many people believe that plants do not move. However, the reality is that plants respond by sensing changes in light intensity, color, and temperature and moving. I focus on the behavior of microtubules in plant cells, which may be playing a key role in regulating plant motion and growth. This project tries to answer this classic, unanswered question in plant physiology, one that had been a focus of Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882), the Father of Evolution.

(2) Mechanisms of Plant Environmental Responses To adapt to environmental change, plants must survive and reproduce through seed production because they cannot physically leave the place where their seeds germinate. In particular, my focus is on how plants adapt to higher temperatures. As we face the challenge of climate change and global warming, understanding mechanisms of biological adaptation to higher temperatures is critical.

(3) Functions of Small RNAs on Plant Embryogenesis and Development Small RNAs play important roles to regulate plant embryogenesis and developments. I discovered a novel gene expression mechanism involving small RNAs. This project tries to further develop this new field in plant physiology.