HudsonAlpha faculty investigator Kankshita Swaminathan, PhD, is passionate about using functional genomics and gene editing to create plants for a more sustainable future. This means engineering plants that require fewer resources like water and minerals and improving their abilities to adapt to extreme environments such as poor soils and drought.

Swaminathan and her lab specialize in annual and perennial grasses like switchgrass, Miscanthus, Panicum hallii, and sorghum. In particular, the lab is interested in using genomics and biotechnology to improve bioenergy feedstock crops to increase their yields. Their research also focuses on understanding the genetics behind how perennial plants reproduce and how they capture and store nutrients to use year after year.

Recent News

July 26, 2022
The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology has a new building gracing its skyline– a 14,000-square-foot glass greenhouse to be exact.
December 1, 2021
Researchers from HudsonAlpha, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, and Alabama A&M were recently awarded a supplemental grant to continue their research efforts into understanding nitrogen uptake mechanisms in sorghum, while also incr...
November 11, 2021
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey recently awarded HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology $968,365 through the Alabama Research and Development Advancement Fund.
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