The PMB professor was awarded the organization’s 2024 John Webster Award for his outstanding contribution to fungal biology research over an extended career.
Plant engineering breakthrough could improve bioproduct development
Research led by PMB professor Patrick Shih shows that some simple changes to Agrobacterium can significantly improve the efficiency of introducing DNA into a genome.
USDA Under Secretary Jacobs-Young Tours Oxford Facility
During a visit to campus last week, the Under Secretary visited greenhouses and field sites to learn about various environmental, agricultural, and plant science research programs on campus.
New research identifies key gene in maize domestication
PMB researchers George Chuck and Zhaobin Dong have identified a gene that controls numerous essential crop traits in maize.
New center to advance use of seaweed in the global economy
PMB Professor John Coates will co-lead the new International Bioeconomy Macroalgae Center at UC Berkeley, which has been granted nearly $13 million from the NSF and international partners.
PMB Alumni + Student Voices Newsletter
The fall 2024 edition of our newsletter features profiles, new faculty, a letter from the chair, class notes, and more.
Dangerous airborne fungus boosted by California droughts
A new study co-authored by Professor John Taylor identified seasonal patterns in Valley fever infections that could help public health officials prepare for future surges.
PMB welcomes two new faculty members
Join us in welcoming Professors Lotus Lofgren, Patricia Lang, and other new Rausser College faculty.
What wasps can teach us about engineering plants
Professor Patrick Shih and graduate student Kasey Markel’s studies of how Cynipid wasps reprogram oak trees may hold clues to new methods of engineering plants.
Shaping our understanding of microbial communities
Recent research led by Luis Valentin-Alvarado, PhD ’23 Microbial Biology, identifies a novel group of Asgard archaea and offers new insight into their distribution and function.
Advancing knowledge on plant immunity
A new study co-authored by PMB researchers on the regulatory mechanisms governing plant immune responses was published in the journal Cell last week.
Manipulating microbial communities with vitamins
A pair of new papers from the Taga lab furthers scientific understanding of microbial interactions in a California grassland soil.
Fifty Years of Excellence
Rausser College of Natural Resources celebrates a milestone anniversary this month! Learn more about the impact of PMB and the entire College over the last half century.
Can engineered plants help make baby formula as nutritious as breast milk?
New research from the lab of Assistant Professor Patrick Shih shows that engineered plants may hold the secret to improving commercial infant formula.
PMB researchers use CRISPR/Cas9 to alter photosynthesis for the first time
A RIPE team led by Professor Krishna Niyogi and alum Dhruv Patel-Tupper, PhD '22, used CRISPR/Cas9 to increase gene expression in rice by changing its upstream regulatory DNA.
50 years and counting
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the College of Natural Resources, Breakthroughs magazine shares 50 fun facts and big impacts from the College’s first five decades.
A half-century of plant immunity breakthroughs
Professor Emerit Brian Staskawicz and co-authors break down the last half-century of breakthroughs in the study of plant immunity in the 50th-anniversary issue of Cell.
Patrick Shih named 2024 Spark Award recipient
Shih joins professors Daniel Nomura, Joseph Shapiro, and other UC Berkeley faculty members as recipients of funding, resources, and entrepreneurial mentorship.
Advancing scientific understanding of calcium signaling
Recent studies led by Plant and Microbial Biology professor Sheng Luan shed light on the role calcium plays in plant immunity and defense.
Student Spotlight: Trinity Reimer
Fourth-year microbial biology major Trinity Reimer speaks about her background, experience at UC Berkeley and as a Bakar Ignite Scholar, and plans for the future