Home Department: undeclared
Mentor: Jenn Brophy (Bioengineering)

“Engineering Wheat Associated Bacteria Synthetic Communities for Drought Tolerance"

Drought is a naturally occurring weather phenomenon that has seen accelerated onset and intensity due to climate change, with many consequences—including a negative impact on crop yields. Wheat, a vital food crop, has struggled to adapt. Plant microbiota offer a solution to support plant growth and productivity under drought. Nathan’s project will involve using characterized microorganisms associated with plants to build synthetic communities (SynComs) with the goal of fortifying wheat drought resistance. He will use genetic engineering to evaluate SynCom pathways and will grow wheat seedlings with SynComs to define their role in stress mitigation and drought tolerance.