Molecular Plant Sciences Program
How a plant cell's skeleton helps fight infection
READ MOREWhat's New?
PhD student, Joanne Thomson, awarded NRT-IMPACTS fellowship
The NRT program at Michigan State University, funded by the National Science Foundation Research Traineeship program, trains doctoral students in applying computational data science approaches to solving problems in plant biology.
READ MOREWhy study molecular plant sciences
Plants support most life on earth. They are the foundation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and provide essential services and materials to people. Molecular plant scientists study the genetic, biophysical, and biochemical processes that plants use to capture solar energy and use it to biosynthesize food, fuel, wood and paper, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. Fundamental molecular plant science knowledge is critical for:
- Improving agricultural productivity and sustainability
- Developing new renewable energy sources
- Making novel compounds to improve human health and diet
- Improving plant responses to environmental challenges
Why Michigan State University
Michigan State University has one of the world's highest concentrations of plant scientists and leads in all areas of plant science research and education. The MPS graduate program brings together the breadth and depth of MSU faculty who apply diverse methods to study photosynthetic organisms.