Research Interests

Plant ecology and evolution, physiology, functional genomics, sustainable agriculture, plant-water relations

The primary focus of research in the Des Marais Lab is to understand the mechanisms of organism-environment interaction. We use tools from molecular, quantitative, and population genetics to identify the physiological basis of plant response to environmental cues, and ask how these mechanisms constrain or facilitate plant breeding and evolutionary change.

DEI statement

Members of the Des Marais Lab feel that the strength and excellence of our community stems from our diversity of identities, experiences, and perspectives. Academia is a mirror of the broader society that we serve, and continues to suffer from systemic prejudices and lack of diversity. In our lab, we actively work to acknowledge and reform our prejudices, and address our privileges. We place the highest priority on fostering a culture that does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, differing physical ability, or age. We strive to achieve scientific excellence through respectfully communicating, supportively collaborating, and actively listening. Our motivation to study biology comes, in part, from the need for environmental stewardship, which we see as intimately tied to social justice. We commit to studying the evolution and ecology of biological diversity through a lens that values and benefits from diversity in our community.