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See how our current work and research is bringing new thinking and new solutions to some of today's biggest challenges.

Graduate Field of Plant Biology

Uncovering fundamental principles of plant biology and evolution

    Cornell's Graduate Studies in Plant Biology are at the cutting edge of basic and translational plant research and offer top-ranked, interdisciplinary Ph.D. training. Students are tackling some of today’s toughest challenges; from a single strand of DNA to the global scale, plant biologists have contributions to make in genetics, medicine, climate change, agriculture and many other exciting and important areas.

    Graduate Field of Plant Biology

    World-renowned Cornell scientists with diverse interests and strengths are recruiting and teaching the next generation of plant scientists. Currently, 47 faculty members are affiliated with the Plant Biology Graduate Field. Given the breadth of faculty research, students choose from a variety of research areas and concentrations.

    Historically, the Field of Plant Biology has been divided into nine "concentrations". Applicants must indicate a preference for one of these concentrations upon application but this selection does not commit you to a particular research area.

    • Cytology
    • Paleobotany
    • Plant Biochemistry
    • Plant Cell Biology
    • Plant Ecology
    • Plant Molecular Biology
    • Plant Morphology, Anatomy, and Biomechanics
    • Plant Physiology
    • Systematic Botany

    Bailey Hortorium is one of many resources available to graduate students in Plant biology. The Hortorium is a major center for plant systematics, with a mission encompassing ethnobotany, paleobotany, biodiversity studies, and pharmaceutical studies of tropical plants.

    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

    Students in the PhD program typically do 6-8 week laboratory rotations before deciding on a research lab. They enroll in a set of core courses supplemented with selective courses tailored to students’ research interest. The weekly student seminar series is based on student thesis research with each student presenting once per year.

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    More about Plant Biology
    three people examining plants on a desk

    Development, organelle biology, evolution and diversity, or systems biology - our students are making breakthroughs in many important research areas of plant biology