USA Professor Wins $500,000 Grant to Study Plant Biology
Posted on April 8, 2025
Dr. Tuan Tran, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, has secured a three-year $503,000 National Science Foundation grant for research on plant plasma membrane nanodomain structure and functions and how these nanodomains contribute to plant disease resistance.
Plants are constantly under attack from various diseases but do not have adaptive immune response like humans. Instead, they rely on membrane receptors to detect the presence of pathogens and stop them from infecting the plant.
鈥淧lants rely on their ability to sense the environment and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. This is made possible through many receptors located on the plasma membrane of the plant cell,鈥� Tran said. 鈥淭he goal of this project is to characterize the components and functions of structures called nanodomains located on the plasma membrane.鈥�
Most of this award will support research, but a portion will be used for the development of a course-based undergraduate research experience.
Tran says his team is working on the syllabus and hopes to begin offering the undergraduate research experience by the spring 2026 semester.
To help bring plant biology into the K-12 schools, Tran also plans to provide a train-a-trainer workshop for Mobile County K-12 teachers through a partnership with South鈥檚 Department of Leadership and Teacher Education.
鈥淧lant biology is underrepresented in the curriculum in Alabama,鈥� Tran said. 鈥淚ntroducing it into the curriculum early could help shape career decisions and attract young talent into the agricultural sciences.鈥�
