Optimizing Plant Resilience
Erin Sparks Lab
Research Interests
Erin Sparks’ research uses interdisciplinary and multi-scale approaches to optimize plant resilience under abiotic and biotic stressors, for example, by applying a unique blend of principles of mechanical engineering and the genetics of root development.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Erin Sparks
Principal Investigator, Bond LSC
Associate Professor of Plant Science and Technology
Associate Member and Principle Investigator, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
phone(573) 884-1784
email esparks@missouri.edu
Erin Sparks has a BS in Biomedical Engineering, a PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology, and Postdoctoral experience in Plant Molecular Biology. Sparks’ research uses interdisciplinary and multi-scale approaches to optimize plant resilience under abiotic and biotic stressors. She was a faculty member at the Delaware Biotechnology Institute and the University of Delaware for 8 years. Sparks joined the University of Missouri as a joint faculty member with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in 2025.
LAB MEMBERS
Research Topics
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Crop improvement and agricultural sustainability
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Developmental biomechanics
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Genomic tools and systems biology
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Multi-omics and bioinformatics tools
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Software engineering
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Crop improvement and agricultural sustainability
-
Developmental biomechanics
-
Genomic tools and systems biology
-
Multi-omics and bioinformatics tools
-
Software engineering
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