Our lab combines computational and experimental approaches to reveal molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive strategies in plants. We focus on metabolic traits at multiple scales including individual genes, pathways, and networks. We also uncover novel functions, mechanisms, and pathways of ‘unknown’ genes (those that are not similar to any known genes), which is taking us to areas of research we never thought of studying before.

Front Matter

We aim to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive traits in the face of heat, drought, nutrient limitation, latitude and pests. We study a variety of plants including models, orphan crops, medicinal and desert plants. More recently our work has involved studying a model nematode C. elegans, fungal pathogens, corals, and piezophilic bacterium. Our group employs computational modeling and targeted laboratory testing to study mechanisms of adaptation, functions of novel genes, organization and function of metabolic networks, and chemical and neuronal code of plant-animal interactions. We are also interested in developing translational research programs involving carbon sequestration by plants and biomass maximization under drought in bioenergy crops. See our Publications and Talks.

News

December 18th, 2025
The Rhee Lab has three new members! We are excited to share that Ryan Brener (PhD Student), Aidan Deneen (PhD Student), and Elena Elias (Undergraduate Student) have recently joined our team. Welcome, Ryan, Aidan, and Elena!

December 4th, 2025
Congratulations to Dr. Seung Yon (Sue) Rhee on receiving 2025 Michigan State University College of Natural Science Research Leadership Award! This honor highlights her leadership in advancing plant resilience research, mentoring scientists, and building impactful collaborations across MSU and with global partners. Read the full announcement here.

November 7th, 2025
Congratulations to Rhee Lab Members Karine Prado, Bo Xue, Sterling Field, Matt Stata, Charles Hawkins, and their colleagues on the publication of their manuscript “Photosynthetic acclimation is a key contributor to exponential growth of a desert plant in Death Valley summer” in Current Biology! Read the press release for the manuscript here, and additional writing about the manuscript here and here.

November 4th, 2025
Congratulations MSU’s Plant Resilience Institute faculty member Hatem Rouached, his team, and The Rhee Lab on the publication of their new manuscript “Phosphorus availability controls flowering time through subcellular reprogramming of bGLU25 and GRP7 in Arabidopsis“! Published in Developmental Cell, this newly discovered signaling pathway explains how plants delay flowering when phosphorus runs low, opening doors to creating nutrient-efficient crops. Read the full news release here!

September 3rd, 2025
MSU’s Plant Resilience Institute is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to investigate how plant-derived compounds affect nematode physiology, behavior, and survival, and to uncover the molecular mechanisms of desiccation tolerance in C. elegans! The successful candidate will work in collaboration with MSU nematode experts, C-SPIRIT, and WALII. Review of applications begins September 12, 2025. Click here to learn more and apply!

August 26th, 2025
MSU’s Plant Resilience Institute is seeking a highly motivated and skilled postdoctoral researcher to lead a project focused on discovering a new class of regulatory metabolites and their nuclear signaling mechanisms that govern plant resilience! Review of applications begins September 5th, 2025. Click here to learn more and apply!

August 25th, 2025
Congratulations to Rhee Lab members Evan Saldivar and Sterling Field on the publication of their article “Cellular view of metabolism: metabolicbiomolecular condensates” in New Phytologist! Their article reviews how metabolic biomolecular condensates help cells regulate metabolism by clustering enzymes and molecules in small compartments. It highlights both classical and newly discovered examples, showing how these structures improve efficiency, respond to stress, and represent an important area for future plant research. Click here to read the article!

August 18th, 2025
Congratulations to Rhee Lab member Matt Stata and his colleagues on the publication of their article “How evolution repeatedly builds complexity: a case study with C4 photosynthesis in Blepharis (Acanthaceae)” in New Phytologist! Their article explores how C4 photosynthesis has evolved multiple times in the plant genus Blepharis, which contains a wide range of intermediate forms between C3 and C4 types. This diversity makes Blepharis a powerful model for studying convergent evolution and the emergence of complex traits. Click here to read the article!
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June 19th, 2025
New members alert!
We are excited to announce two Summer REU students have joined our lab as part of the MSU Plant Genomics REU program! Welcome Arianna and Rylee! Ari joins us from North Park University and Rylee is coming from University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

May 27th, 2025
We’re excited to announce our latest paper Implementing a framework of carbon and nitrogen feedback responses into a plant resource allocation model (Holland et al., 2025) is now available in pre-print in in-silico Plants! This paper authored by Dr. Beth Holland in our lab discusses a framework model of internal feedback responses to changes in plant carbon and nitrogen concentrations.
Please find the full paper here!