The Department of Plant & Microbial Biology at UC Berkeley ranks among top institutions worldwide for research and training in plant biology and microbiology.
Support the next generation of scholars, researchers, and innovators during #CalBigGive. Every gift made to PMB’s Graduate Student Support Fund before 9 pm today can help unlock $20,000 in matching funds committed by department faculty. Give now: givingday.berkeley.edu/givin…
Recent research from PMB Professor @WilliamsSci and postdoc Dawei Dai (@amaizeingcorn) suggests that Arabidopsis thaliana—one of plant biology's most closely studied species—could serve as a model organism for studying aging at the molecular level. innovativegenomics.org/news/…
Congratulations to advisors Ryann Madden and Zarah Ersoff, undergraduate Sanya Sitlani, and Professor Daniel Portnoy, who were honored earlier this month with 2025 Excellence in Advising and Student Services awards. Learn more about the recognition: nature.berkeley.edu/news/fou…
ALT A composite graphic featuring photos of advisors Ryann Madden (left) and Zarah Ersoff, undergraduate Sanya Sitlani, and Professor Daniel Portnoy set against a blue background.
Congratulations to Professors Sheng Luan and Krishna Niyogi and Adjunct Professor Igor Grigoriev on their inclusion on Clarivate's list, which recognizes researchers whose studies rank in the top 1% by number of scholarly citations worldwide.
Read more: nature.berkeley.edu/news/rau…
Eight Rausser College faculty were recently named among the world’s most influential researchers, according to a new report from analytics firm @Clarivate. Learn more about the methodology and see who made the list: nature.berkeley.edu/news/rau…
ALT A composite image featuring eight headshots of men and women looking at the camera.
Our Fall issue of Breakthroughs looks inland to California's rural and agricultural areas, highlighting the Rausser College researchers advancing science and solutions to support communities and ecosystems across the Golden State. Read the full issue at nature.berkeley.edu/breakthr….
Fourth-year genetics and plant biology major Yaeko Long has explored the fungal world, cultivated a passion for photography, and performed with the Cal Band across California. Learn more about their UC Berkeley experience: nature.berkeley.edu/news/stu…
ALT A photo of Yaeko Long
ALT Yaeko Long, second from left, and other members of the UC Berkeley Mycology Club.
ALT Yaeko plays the piccolo during the UC Berkeley-Idaho game on September 16, 2023.
MONDAY, Oct 6: Join us for the Albright Lecture with Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, renowned marine biologist, policy expert, and climate thought leader, as she discusses her new book What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures. Register:
events.berkeley.edu/RausserC…
Rausser College is excited to welcome six new faculty members this year. Their research and expertise span a variety of topics, including environmental economics, metabolic biology, land management, and plant biology. Read more about each faculty member: linkedin.com/pulse/rausser-c…
ALT A composite image featuring headshots of six people in circles on a blue background. From top left: Alessandra Ferrari, Shifrah Aron-Dine, Justin Luong, Yan Gong, Rebecca Bart, and Güneş Parlakgül.
Plant Biology PhD student Kylee Hillman and @UCB_Chemistry PhD student Teng-Jui (Owen) Lin were recognized with a national prize for their efforts to highlight misleading visualizations published in academic journals. chemistry.berkeley.edu/news/…
ALT Teng-Jui (Owen) Lin and Kylee Hillman sit at a desk with a computer and monitor behind them.
Congratulations to Usha Lingappa for receiving a 2025 Branco Weiss Fellow!
The fellowship will support Usha's research on algal contributions to soil carbon cycling as she continues her work as a postdoc in the @Merchant_Lab. Congrats again 🎊
Read more: bit.ly/lingappa-congrats
Rausser College PhD candidates Yihong Zhu, Marco Dueñas, Sheherazade, and Simon Greenhill were awarded fellowships by the Philomathia Center to study issues related to the environment. Learn more about their research: vcresearch.berkeley.edu/phil…
Calling all PMB alumni and current students! Please share your updates for our 2025 newsletter via this form by August 15! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F…
ALT Airyscan microscopy of chlorophyll fluorescence in Chlamy cells acclimated to diurnal low light or excess light taken in the daytime or the nighttime. The cells are outlined with a dotted white line, each containing a single cup-shaped chloroplast, which is outlined in green.
ALT Three researchers in University of California lab coats in the Sabeeha Merchant lab.
Professor and @EnergyBioscien1 Director John Coates said the expansion of biofuel production raises new questions about shifts in agricultural production. “Just because something can be converted to a biofuel doesn’t necessarily mean that it should be…”
montanafreepress.org/2025/05…
Researchers from @PMB_Berkeley and the Innovative Genomics Institute are leveraging CRISPR and other genomic tools to help safeguard the planet’s supply of cacao from disease. Read more about their efforts in our latest issue of Breakthroughs. nature.berkeley.edu/breakthr…
ALT Brian Staskawicz (left) and Myeong-Je Cho stand among potted cacao trees growing in an Oxford Tract greenhouse.
ALT From left: Researcher Abigail Stevens, Brian Staskawicz, Myeong-Je Cho, and researcher Maxwell Vetterli examine a cacao plant in growth medium at the Plant Genomics and Transformation Facility.
ALT A juvenile cacao plant maturing in growth medium
Assistant Professor Patrick Shih (@LabShih) was named the 2025 recipient of the @ASPB's Charles Albert Shull Award, which recognizes outstanding research in plant biology by an ASPB member under 45 years old. Congratulations, Patrick!
plantandmicrobiology.berkele…
The Plant & Microbial Biology Department came together last month to celebrate Brian Staskawicz, recipient of the 2025 Wolf Prize in Agriculture. See photos of the reception in our Facebook album! facebook.com/media/set/?set=…
Plant and Microbial Biology and Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology professor Sabeeha Merchant (@Merchant_Lab) recently wrote about the history of her research in the Journal of Molecular Biology. sciencedirect.com/science/ar…
ALT A photo of Sabeeha Merchant in a lab environment at a piece of equipment. Photo by Anastasiia Sapon
Congratulations to graduate students Annelise Goldman, Yarrow Syskine, and Dakota Pekerti on receiving 2025 Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation.
nature.berkeley.edu/news/202…
ALT A composite image featuring portraits of Annelise Goldman, Yarrow Syskine, and Dakota Pekerti.