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Plants, like all organisms, encounter environmental variation and stress. Unlike animals, however, they cannot escape unfavorable conditions and must withstand them in place. Consequently, plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to modulate their development and enhance resilience against adverse conditions.

Over the past several decades, research has greatly advanced our understanding of plant–environment interactions and stress adaptation. Yet, major gaps remain. Large portions of plant genomes still lack functional characterization, and we do not fully understand the cellular mechanisms and dynamics regulating growth and fitness under fluctuating and/or extreme environment.

My research group at Cal Poly Pomona seeks to address these gaps by investigating:

A) How adverse conditions have contributed to the evolution of cellular complexity in plants, and

B) How can we comprehensively map the factors that drive the integration of cell-based information throughout the whole organism for developmental decision making.

To pursue these questions, we focus on the cellular physiology of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Current projects examine the endomembrane system at distinct peripheral domains—including the plasma membrane, ER–membrane contact sites (ER-MCSs), and plasmodesmata—to uncover their roles in supporting growth and resilience under environmental stress.

The lab's long-term goal is to build knowledge that not only deepens our understanding of plant biology but also supports solutions to global challenges like climate change and agricultural sustainability.

Just as importantly, we aim to create a research environment where students can grow as scientists by engaging in hands-on investigations - asking questions, collecting and analyzing data, and experiencing how plant biology connects to the broader world.