• Plant Growth and Development
• Genetics and Evolution of Plants
• Plant Cell Biology and Physiology
• Plant Genomics and Bioinformatics
• Plant-Pathogen Interactions

Graduate coursework in this program will provide you with a breadth and depth of fundamental knowledge about plants and the methods used to study them. You'll take courses in the areas of:

• Molecular Biology and Evolution
• Structure and Development
• Ecology and Systematics
• Physiology

"Since I began graduate school in Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue, I have been impressed by the amount of time the faculty and staff devote to students. They have always been willing to help me when I needed it. They really go the extra mile."

• Jo Ann (Jody) Banks: Genetic and molecular basis of sex determination and differentiation in plants
• Nick Carpita: Biochemical and molecular aspects of plant cell growth and development; structure and biosynthesis of the plant cell wall
• Ron Coolbaugh: Biochemical and molecular studies on the biosynthesis of natural plant hormones such as gibberellins and abscisic acid
• Peter Goldsbrough: Environmental stress physiology of how plants respond and adapt to a variety of environmental stresses, including heavy metals, drought and general oxidative stress
• Guri Johal: Molecular and genetic basis of maize interactions with fungal pathogens; disease lesion mimic mutants and programmed cell death in maize
• Carole Lembi: Aquatic weed science and phycology with emphasis on ecology, physiology, and management of aquatic algae
• Bob Pruitt: Molecular and genetic regulation of growth and development of plants; fertilization and epidermal cell interactions
• Mary Alice Webb: Plant cell and developmental biology; calcium oxalate accumulation in specialized cells
• Michael Zanis: Plant evolutionary biology, genetics of plant form and development, plant systematics and phylogenetic methodology, evolution of genetic networks.

You are encouraged to contact any of the above researchers directly if interested in joining their lab.

Our department also participates in PULSe (Purdue University Life Sciences) -- a new inclusive interdisciplinary graduate program that encompasses life science research across the university. Visit the PULSe Interdisciplinary Graduate Program web site for more details.