The plant root is an important organ that is responsible for water and nutrient acquisition and acts as sites of microbial interaction. The Chin lab studies how roots perceive and respond to external stimuli, and how this subsequently affects root growth and development. This is explored using advanced cell imaging techniques, molecular biology, genetics and biochemistry, root morphology and functional analysis in the plant models, Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) and Medicago truncatula (barrel medic), and the crop plant, Zea mays (corn).

Research themes in the lab include:

1. The role of actin cytoskeleton in root mechanical signaling in growth and development.

2. The perception of gravity stimulus in root.

3. The interaction of root and microbes under stressful environment such as lunar regolith simulant.

Advances in the lab are useful in helping us understand fundamental root biology to improve root traits optimized to specific contexts.