Our lab aims to understand molecular and spatiotemporal characteristics of cells comprising the holobiont (the collective entity of the host and surrounding microbes). We tackle this challenge by developing and incorporating new genomics & imaging technologies tailored for studying plant-microbe interactions. Our lab will (1) characterize the responses and functions of both plant and microbial cells at the single-cell and spatial resolution, (2) link single-cell plant-microbe interactions with holobiont traits, and (3) precisely manipulate cells in the holobiont to confer desirable traits.

How do cells communicate within and between organisms? That is the core question in my research using plants and microbes. Plant-microbe co-evolution has given rise to various sophisticated genetic programs and molecular innovations, many of which remain elusive. I aim to elucidate genetic programs in plants and microbes that are critical for their interactions and to manipulate such programs to understand them further or control the outcomes of plant-microbe interactions, which will impact basic understandings of life and plant breeding.