Z. Jeffrey Chen

D. J. Sibley Centennial Professor in Plant Molecular Genetics

Jeff Chen received is B.S. in Agronomy at Zhejiang Agricultural University, his M.S. in Genetics and Breeding at Nanjing Agricultural University, and his Ph.D. in Genetics at Texas A&M University (dissertation advisor: Gary Hart).  Following post-doctoral positions with Ronald Phillips and Howard Rines at the University of Minnesota and Craig Pikaard at the Washington University in St. Louis, he joined the faculty at Texas A&M in 1999, where he was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure.  In 2005, he joined the faculty of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology and the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology at The University of Texas at Austin and now is the D. J. Sibley Centennial Professor in Plant Molecular Genetics.

Jeff Chen has developed an innovative research program to study molecular mechanisms for gene expression changes and growth vigor in hybrids (combining two individuals of the same species) and allopolyploids (combining two or more related species) relative to those of the parents. His research employs Arabidopsis (a weedy plant in the mustard family) and cotton as experimental systems. Changes in chromosomal dosage and novel interactions between parental alleles and loci in hybrids and polyploids alter gene expression important to growth and development, develop diseases and cancers in animals, and increase biomass and fitness in plants. He and his colleagues have found that changes in gene expression in plant hybrids and allopolyploids are associated with growth vigor, enhanced resistances to diseases and environmental stresses , and fiber cell development , which leads to increased biomass and evolutionary success of plant polyploids. Moreover, the results have significant implications, not only for the field of genetics, but also for the ultimate success of biotechnological efforts to safely and effectively manipulate gene expression associated with growth vigor in plants and crops that produce food, feed, and biofuels.

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