Current lab members

I am an associate professor of Crop Physiology at the department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota. I received my Ph.D. in plant ecophysiology from Montpellier SupAgro and completed my postdoctoral training at AgroParisTech/INRAE (France) and the University of Florida, before joining the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium) prior to my current position at the University of Minnesota. My research focuses on identifying functional traits that have the potential to support breeding for enhanced yield potential and tolerance to drought, heat and freezing stresses in several crop plants.

Qiansu is a graduate student with a M.Sc degree in Ecology from Xiamen University, China. Qiansu is investigating the physiological underpinnings of historical yield increases in wheat and those driving interannual yield declines in intermediate wheatgrass (Kernza). 

Maicy is a graduate student B.A. in Biology, with a minor in Public Health, from Gustavus Adolphus College, MN. She is leading a project in collaboration with the Watkins Lab investigating the physiological basis of winter hardiness in perennial ryegrass (LinkedIn).