Plant Physiology and Biotechnology Research
Plant physiology is the study of the physical and chemical processes that occur within plants. These processes are studied at many different scales of size and time.
A focus of the research at UC is on responses of plants to extremes of environment and responses to changes in climate. Also of interest is developmental plant physiology with particular focus on the roles of the plant hormones in growth and development.
Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary subject investigating the application of biological understanding to provide products that benefit society and support sustainable economic development.
At UC particular biotechnological strengths exist in our environmental programmes, using molecular tools to answer questions of ecological and evolutionary significance. Other strengths include medical biotechnologies and bionanotechnologies, each of which show synergies with programmes in the Department of Chemistry and the MacDiarmid Centre for Nanotechnology.
Examples of research include:
- Phytoremediation potential of herbs and NZ plants.
- Somatic embryogenesis and artificial seed technology.
- Ecophysiology of resource acquisition in natural and managed ecosystems.
- The roles of the plant hormones on phase change, flowering, pigments, fruit development and senescence.
- Plant-microbe interactions with a particular focus on the perturbation of plant hormones by the microbe and the mechanisms invoked by the plant to retain hormone homeostasis.
The College of Science is home to the Centre for Integrated Research on Biosafety, which focuses on bioafety and biosecurity, and the implications of modern biotechnologies for society.
Research Staff
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Dr David Collings Plant Cell Biology |
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Prof Matthew Turnbull Plant Physiological Ecology |
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Dr David Leung Plant Biotechnology |
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Prof Jack Heinemann Gene Ecology |
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Prof Paula Jameson Plant Biology |
Research Centre
Recent Posters
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| Kaka Beak: Conservation by Cultivation | Quantitative Expression of Cytokinin Metabolic Genes in Wheat | Effect of Shoot Architecture on Phase Change and Flowering in Eucalyptus occidentalis |
Course Advice
- Studying Biotechnology at undergraduate level.
- Postgraduate projects in Plant Biology and Plant Physiology and Biotechnology.