MSU Plant Resilience Institute

The graphic features a background image of soil with the title "World Soil Day, December 5, 2025." On the right is a headshot of Christine Sprunger, Associate Professor of Soil Health. The left side of the graphic has a flowchart linking soil biodiversity to productivity, carbon accumulation, and climate resiliency. The PRI logo is located in the bottom left corner.

Happy #WorldSoilDay! PRI faculty member @sprunger.bsky.social is at the forefront of soil research, developing new methodologies to use nematodes as bioindicators for soil health, linking soil biodiversity to productivity, carbon accumulation, and climate resiliency. 🪱 Learn more: sprungerlab.com

Congratulations, @emjo.bsky.social, @davidlowry.bsky.social, and @rheelab.bsky.social!

A square graphic broken into four quadrants, with the NatSci logo and text "2025 College Awards" in the top left corner, a photo of Emily Josephs receiving her award from Eric Hegg in the top right, a photo of David Lowry receiving his award from Eric Hegg in the bottom left, and a headshot of Sue Rhee in the bottom right.

PRI is proud to highlight the extraordinary achievements of 3 faculty recognized with awards from the College of Natural Science:

Emily Josephs: Teacher-Scholar Award
David Lowry: Postdoctoral Mentoring Award
Sue Rhee: Research Leadership Award

Read more: plantresilience.msu.edu/pri-news/202...

The graphic has a faded background image of hands scooping up a seedling in the dirt with the Plant Resilience Institute logo in the top left corner. In a green gradient arrow, there is text that says, “Now Hiring: Howe Lab Postdoctoral Researcher.” In the bottom right corner, there is the MSU PRI logo and the text, “Apply online at careers.msu.edu.”

🚨 Hiring alert! MSU's Plant Resilience Institute is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to advance discovery of new regulatory metabolites driving plant stress responses. #PlantSciJobs

Join us as we push the boundaries of plant resilience research: careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...

The graphic features the GLEXPO logo in front of photos of the GLEXPO exhibitor hall. Below, there is text that says "Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO, Dec. 9-11, Devon Place, Grand Rapids, MI."

Come see us and @c-spirit.org next week at #GLEXPO! The Great Lakes EXPO brings together growers, industry professionals, and agricultural scientists in one of the largest specialty ag trade shows in North America. Learn more and register at glexpo.com. 🧑‍🌾

A graphic with a blue background image of computer code and DNA with the Plant Resilience Institute logo in the top left corner. In a green gradient arrow, there is text that says, “Now Hiring: EWAS Postdoctoral Researcher.” In the bottom right corner, there is the MSU PRI logo and the text, “Apply online at careers.msu.edu.”

PRI is seeking a postdoctoral researcher with strong computational and data science skills to join a project focused on identifying causal environmental drivers of crop resilience and yield.

🧬 Learn more and apply: careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...

#PlantSciJobs #PlantScience

A photograph of Drs. Yuan Xu and Tom Sharkey measuring the rate of photosynthesis and isoprene being released by a soybean plant in the lab with the MSU PRI logo in the top left corner and the Giving Tuesday logo in the bottom left corner.

Today is #GivingTuesday, and it's a chance to support the Plant Resilience Institute scientists working to solve grand challenges in the face of climate change.

Join us in giving to PRI's Plant Innovation Fund to fuel innovations in plant resilience: plantresilience.msu.edu/Contribute/index.aspx 🌱

A dark green promotional image for the Plant Cell Atlas Data Reproducibility Workshop 3-day event happening February 9-11, 2026 at 9:00 AM PST / 12:00 PM EST.

A dark green promotional image for the Plant Cell Atlas Data Reproducibility Workshop 3-day with the full series description.

Registration is NOW OPEN for the Three-Part Data Reproducibility Workshop Series (February 9-11, 2026 9:00 AM PST/12:00 PM EST)

To Learn More and Register, Visit: www.plantcellatlas.org/events.html?...

The PCA and C-SPIRIT Single Cell Curation Effort is now live 🌱
Together with @plantcellatlas.bsky.social, we curated 186 single cell plant papers covering 55 species & 6.5M cells to support the EBI Single Cell Expression Atlas.

Explore the list: www.plantcellatlas.org/scea-papers....

#plantscience

Unraveling the mysteries of the plant microbiome Three years after joining the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University microbiologist Sarah Lebeis has been tapped to guide the center’s scientific research. Lebeis, an associ...

We are thrilled to share that PRI faculty member Sarah Lebeis has been appointed science director at @glbioenergy.bsky.social!

Read the story of Sarah's expertise in plant-microbe interactions and her commitment to advancing sustainable bioenergy cropping systems: www.glbrc.org/news/unravel...

A graphic with faded background images of switchgrass plants and the Plant Resilience Institute logo in the top left corner. In a green gradient arrow, there is text that says, “Now Hiring: Lowry Lab Postdoctoral Researcher.” In the bottom right corner, there is the MSU PRI logo and the text, “Apply online at careers.msu.edu.”

Now hiring! 📣 @davidlowry.bsky.social's lab at MSU is searching for a new postdoctoral researcher to study the evolution, genetics, and physiology of cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in switchgrass.

Learn more and apply: careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...

#PlantSciJobs #PlantScience

Associate Professor Sarah Lebeis, right, talks to lab manager Keara Grady in her lab at Michigan State University, where she studies the complex interactions of plants and the communities of microbes that inhabit their root systems.

🌱🔬 Exciting news from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center! MGI assoc prof Sarah Lebeis has been appointed science director, leading groundbreaking research into the plant microbiome.

🔗https://tinyurl.com/48eynzvr

A view of rocky terrain in Death Valley, California with mountains in the distance under a blue sky.

Among the cracked earth & blinding sunlight of California's Death Valley, one native plant not only survives — it thrives.

Read the story of how this plant helped @rheelab.bsky.social scientists reveal a blueprint for engineering heat-resilient crops: msutoday.msu.edu/news/2025/11...

#PlantScience

Research Associate-Fixed Term - East Lansing, Michigan, United States Position Summary The Lowry Lab at Michigan State University is searching for a postdoctoral research associate to conduct molecular and physiological experiments to understand the causes of genetic va...

I am currently searching for a new postdoctoral researcher to study the evolution, genetics, and physiology of cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in switchgrass at Michigan State University. This work will be funded by a newly funded five-year DOE grant. careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...

Congrats to Hatem Rouached (@hatem-rouached.bsky.social), Hui-Kyong Cho, Nadia Bouain, Sue Rhee (@rheelab.bsky.social ), & team on their new paper showing how plants sense low phosphorus & delay flowering thru bGLU25 & GRP7🎉
📄 doi.org/10.1016/j.de...
📰 msutoday.msu.edu/news/2025/11...
#PlantScience

Scientists uncover a phosphorus-responsive switch in plants A newly discovered signaling pathway by MSU researchers explains how plants delay flowering when phosphorus runs low, opening doors to nutrient-efficient crops.

A newly discovered signaling pathway from Michigan State University Plant Resilience Institute researchers explains how plants delay flowering when phosphorus runs low, opening doors to nutrient-efficient crops.

Read the full story: msutoday.msu.edu/news/2025/11...

#PlantScience #SustainableAg

Promotional graphic for the WALII Symposium that features two speakers' headshots and their talk titles with a desert theme.

Today is the last day to register!! Join us TOMORROW!

Meet the individuals selected to present their research at the first annual WALII Symposium!

Check out the talk title below from the final speaker of Session Four.

Visit www.walii.science/virtual-symp...

@msubrandizzilab.bsky.social

MSU’s new Plant and Environmental Sciences building, which began construction in Oct. 2024, is set to be finished in early March 2027. On the corner of Farm and Wilson, the facility is being built to… MSU’s new Plant and Environmental Sciences building construction underway

MSU’s new Plant and Environmental Sciences building is set to be finished in early March 2027. WDBM’s Liam Clymer spoke with students and faculty to understand the importance of the facility and its symbolic meaning to campus.

Watch the video here: youtu.be/j2eHzegByJU?...

Promotional graphic for the WALII Symposium that features two speakers' headshots and their talk titles with a desert theme.

Meet the individuals selected to present their research at the first annual WALII Symposium!

Check out the talk titles below from two speakers of Session Three.

Visit www.walii.science/virtual-symp... to see the full schedule of talks and register to attend!

@rheelab.bsky.social

A blue and green graphic with two images of previous GLEXPO events with the following text: Register today, Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO, Early Bird Registration ends Nov. 15! Dec. 9-11, Grand Rapids, MI, www.glexpo.com

The Plant Resilience Institute and @c-spirit.org will be at the 2025 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO! Come connect with us and learn about the latest agricultural innovations in Michigan. Early-bird registration ends November 15! Learn more and register at: glexpo.com #GLEXPO

Promotional image of a plant growing in the desert for the First Annual WALII Symposium: Exploring Life Without Water. The graphic includes the date and time of the event and information on how to register.

The First Annual Virtual WALII Symposium: Exploring Life Without Water is ONE WEEK AWAY! 🗓️💧

Register now to join us on November, 18!
www.walii.science/virtual-symp...

A special shape shift helps a shrub thrive in blistering heat A microscope reveals an algae-like adaptation that might future-proof crop photosynthesis in extreme heat.

From growing smaller leaves to shape-shifting its insides, a desert flowering plant goes all in to flourish in the harshest of conditions. ☀️ Learn how in this @sciencenews.bsky.social story about the remarkable research of Dr. Karine Prado from @rheelab.bsky.social.

#PlantScience #PlantResilience

An incredible weekend of international research collaboration! 🌏👏

Photosynthetic acclimation is a key contributor to exponential growth of a desert plant in Death Valley summer Heat waves, now more frequent and longer due to climate change, devastate plant productivity. Although they are rare, thermophilic plants could hold k…

New research out of Death Valley from @rheelab.bsky.social! 🏜️ Learn how one desert plant beats the heat through photosynthetic acclimation in their @currentbiology.bsky.social paper: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#PlantScience #PlantResilience

Looking forward to RBMP 2026 in Bilbao, where I’m honored to join as a keynote speaker.
A central meeting for plant molecular biology in Europe. Don’t miss it.

How plants decide when to flower: MSU scientists uncover a phosphorus-responsive switch A newly discovered signaling pathway explains how plants delay flowering when phosphorus runs low, opening doors to nutrient-efficient crops.

Phosphorus is essential for global food production, yet its supply is limited. PRI researchers have now uncovered a signaling pathway that explains how plants delay flowering when phosphorus runs low, opening doors to nutrient-efficient crops.

@hatem-rouached.bsky.social @cellpress.bsky.social

🚨 New in Developmental Cell @Dev_Cell
Our team uncovered how plants sense phosphorus deficiency and delay flowering — a molecular “switch” that links nutrient stress to development. A step toward breeding nutrient-smart crops! authors.elsevier.com/a/1m2id5Sx5g...
@MSU_PRI @MSUAgBio @MSU_PSM

Today's the day! Come learn about plant resilience at the largest multidisciplinary and multicultural STEM gathering in the country, #NDiSTEM2025! 🧑‍🔬

Make sure to also stop by the MSU exhibitor booths (numbers 631, 633, and 635) to learn about #plantscience graduate programs!

@sacnas.bsky.social

Aerial photo of a field with fall colored trees.

Awesome aerial photo of our switchgrass harvest at the @kelloggbiostn.bsky.social by Ruben Ulbrich. You can see the progression of the harvest from right to left: cut plants to tied plants to soon to be tied plants. @msupri.bsky.social