The Plant Sciences discipline investigates how plants function, adapt, and interact with their environment at the molecular and cellular level. A strong shared focus is the chloroplast, with multiple groups studying photosynthesis — from the assembly and regulation of photosynthetic complexes and membrane ion homeostasis, to synthetic biology approaches aimed at redesigning and enhancing the light reactions for crop improvement. Further research addresses how plants regulate carbon and storage metabolism in response to environmental cues, how mathematical modelling can predict plant growth, and how the chloroplast proteome is assembled and maintained. The discipline also encompasses the molecular genetics of plant–microbe interactions, including symbiotic root colonisation, receptor kinase signalling, and plant immunity, as well as the epigenetic mechanisms underlying plant–plant competition. Together, the groups offer an integrative perspective on plant biology from molecular mechanisms to ecological interactions.
Graduate School Life Science Munich (LSM)