Professor and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar Plant Biology; Genetics; Warnell School of Forest Resources Email: cjtsai@uga.edu Lab Website: http://aspendb.org Lab: B310, Davison Life Sciences Lab Phone: 706-542-1304 Office: B314, Davison Life Sciences Office Phone: 706-542-1271 Research Research Areas: Molecular Genetics Genomics & Bioinformatics Cellular & Developmental Biology Biochemistry & Physiology Research Interests: I am a plant biologist with a special passion for large organisms - trees! Trees are ‘large' not merely by their physical or genome size, but primarily by their longevity. Longevity depends on a perennial growth habit, which can mean added functionalities for genes, proteins, and metabolites compared to herbaceous annuals. The quest for 'what makes a tree a tree' has led to various projects ranging from gene family evolution and functional diversification to transgenic manipulation of traits important to growth and development. Needless to say, our research has industrial relevance due to the importance of forest trees as renewable feedstock. Our work is also of ecological relevance because many of the traits we investigate are important in tree interactions with herbivores and pathogens. We use a variety of experimental approaches in our investigations, ranging from transcriptomics, metabolomics and CRISPR genome editing, to the more traditional tools of genetics, biochemistry and plant physiology. We accept technical challenges and have many times developed or adapted necessary tools to advance our research. For this reason, our lab regularly hosts visiting scholars for technical training, such as in situ hybridization, genome editing, and metabolomic analysis. Grants: Tsai C-J, Muchero W, Ranjan P, WINTR: Winter transcriptome regulation in poplar. DOE (2022-2025) Buell CR, Dardick C, Parrott W, Schmitz R, Shih P, Tsai C-J, Urbanowicz B, BioPoplar: a tunable chassis for diversified bioproduct production. DOE (2022-2027) Tuskan GA et al., The Center for Bioenergy Innovation II. DOE Bioenergy Research Center (2022-2027) Yang L, Tsai C-J, Investigate the roles of endogenous salicylic acid in de novo organogenesis. NSF (2021-2024) Tsai C-J, Brewer MT, McGregor CE, Smith SM, van der Knaap E, Crop Genetics and Genomics II: Promoting diversity in agriscience through undergraduate mentoring in research and extension. USDA-AFRI (2022-2027) Tsai C-J, Donovan LA, Harding SA, Li Z, Mitchum MG, Villari C, Yang L, ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for metabolite profiling in crop and forestry research. USDA-AFRI (2021-2023) Selected Publications Selected Publications: Google Scholar Profile ResearchGate Profile