Plant Bio hero image

Plant Biology

Explore the rich world of plants through molecular, cell, and evolutionary biology, biochemistry, biophysics, genetics and functional genomics, physiology, and root biology

Program Overview

Plants are fundamental to life on earth. Plant biologists use these important organisms to address issues such as global climate change, food insecurity, loss of biodiversity, and disease. The Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Plant Biology offers students the opportunity to conduct research on plants—ranging from the cellular level to the whole-plant level.

Students' program of study includes a comprehensive set of team-taught courses that reflect the breadth of scientific fields, and the linkages between them. All students must also complete a thesis based on their own original research.

Faculty and Research Areas

Seminars

Symposia

News

Two Eberly Faculty Honored with 2026 C.I. Noll Award

The Penn State Eberly College of Science has honored Carly Sjogren, associate teaching professor of biology, and Teh-hui Kao, distinguished professor of biology and molecular biology, with the 2026 C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching. First awarded in 1972 and named for Clarence I. Noll, dean of the Eberly College of Science from 1965 to 1971, this award is the highest honor for undergraduate teaching in the college. Students, faculty members, and alumni nominate outstanding faculty members who best exemplify the key characteristics of a Penn State educator.

New clues for using common fungus to promote crop growth and health

Trichoderma species — a common fungus found in soils — have varying abilities to promote tomato plant growth and differentially affect the abundance of certain soil bacteria, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State. The work was the latest in a line of research evaluating the use of this common group of fungi as an alternative to pesticides for controlling soilborne pathogens, said Seogchan Kang, professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences and co-corresponding author of the study.

Four Huck Trainees Among Graduate Student Award Winners

Four Huck graduate students are among the 42 that have been recognized as outstanding scholars with Graduate Student Awards by the Office of the President and the Fox Graduate School.

News

Two Eberly Faculty Honored with 2026 C.I. Noll Award

The Penn State Eberly College of Science has honored Carly Sjogren, associate teaching professor of biology, and Teh-hui Kao, distinguished professor of biology and molecular biology, with the 2026 C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching. First awarded in 1972 and named for Clarence I. Noll, dean of the Eberly College of Science from 1965 to 1971, this award is the highest honor for undergraduate teaching in the college. Students, faculty members, and alumni nominate outstanding faculty members who best exemplify the key characteristics of a Penn State educator.

New clues for using common fungus to promote crop growth and health

Trichoderma species — a common fungus found in soils — have varying abilities to promote tomato plant growth and differentially affect the abundance of certain soil bacteria, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State. The work was the latest in a line of research evaluating the use of this common group of fungi as an alternative to pesticides for controlling soilborne pathogens, said Seogchan Kang, professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences and co-corresponding author of the study.

Four Huck Trainees Among Graduate Student Award Winners

Four Huck graduate students are among the 42 that have been recognized as outstanding scholars with Graduate Student Awards by the Office of the President and the Fox Graduate School.

Plant scientists receive $1.96M NIH grant to study plant-bacteria partnerships

A team of plant scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received a $1.96 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund a study of how beneficial plant-bacteria partnerships evolve, persist, and can be harnessed to improve health and agriculture. This grant, called a Maximizing Investigator’s Research Award, supports a lab's long-term research vision rather than an individual project.