Jian Hua studied biology at Fudan University, Chinese Academy of Science, and Caltech and did postdoc at MIT before coming to Cornell. She studies molecular genetics of plant responses to environmental signals.Her research focus:Her long-term goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying how plants respond to temperature variations to regulate their development and immunity. Proper responses to environmental signals are essential for their optimal growth, reproduction, and fitness. Understanding their molecular basis not only is fundamental to the central biological question of signal transduction and integration, but also better prepares us for global climate changes.
Research programs in my lab have evolved from the study of growth homeostasis at varying temperatures in Arabidopsis to studies of 1) temperature regulation of plant growth, 2) regulation of plant immunity, and 3) interplay between temperature and immunity. We use induced mutations to dissect signaling pathways as well as natural variations to reveal adaptive changes in signaling. We aim at a deeper understanding of how plants adapt and evolve in a change environment.
