Xiaosa Xu

Research Interests

Our lab focuses on plant developmental genetics and evolution using various models and crop organisms such as arabidopsis, maize, and wheat. We use cutting-edge single-cell genomics and spatial transcriptomics approaches to identify key genes and regulatory elements in plant development and evolution. We functionally characterize the mechanism of these key regulators using a combination of CRISPR genome editing, and molecular, cellular, and biochemical approaches. Our ultimate goal is to understand these key regulators in development and evolution, and potentially engineer them to inform crop improvement.

Graduate Program Affiliations 

• Horticulture and Agronomy Graduate Group
• Plant Biology Graduate Group