UC Berkeley Water Research and Opportunities Portal

General biology of freshwater and marine algae, highlighting current research and integrating phylogeny, ecology, physiology, genetics, and molecular biology.

Peggy Lemaux focuses on both basic and applied research focused primarily on cereal crops, like sorghum, wheat, rice and barley. The objectives of these studies are to better understand crop plants and to use that knowledge to improve their performance and quality. More recently efforts with colleagues have focused on bioenergy – especially in the versatile feedstock, sorghum.

One of her projects includes:
1) “Epigenetic Control of Drought Response in Sorghum” (EPICON)
A $12.3 million Department of Energy Biological and Environmental Research-funded project to examine how the drought-tolerant cereal crop, sorghum, survives water loss.
Researchers expect to develop better predictions about how sorghum and other cereal crops are affected by future climate scenarios, leading to approaches to improve crop growth and production under water-limiting conditions.