Research

Our work is challenge-focused and impact-driven.

Solutions Start Here

Just as plants are integral to a wide breadth of our daily lives, from agriculture and climate change to energy and human health, so too must the plant sciences be dynamic and interdisciplinary in order to solve the grand challenges of our time. The plant sciences require the collaborative effort of great minds across all disciplines, approaching applied research through bold curiosity, academic barrier-breaking, multi-sector partnerships and technological innovation.

Increasing yields
Creating new varieties
Extending growing seasons
Enhancing agricultural and environmental sustainability
Producing new and improved technology

Preparing farms to keep pace with a fast-moving future to help ensure a healthier, well-fed world.

3 Research Platforms:

Anna Stepanova and a researcher in a growth chamber

Research Programs

Interdisciplinary research teams address plant improvement, data-driven plant science and resilient agricultural systems.

Research Facilities

Top-notch research facilities provide a direct competitive advantage for our innovative research.

Enabling next-generation science

Research Expertise

Our faculty have diverse and complimentary research expertise to tackle agriculture’s grand challenges.

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Commercialization

We help entrepreneurs get great ideas to market.

Where startups get their start

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Thriving Together

Connecting the brightest minds in academia, government and industry to drive vital research and innovation.

Explore a Partnership

A woman and a man standing outside in front of the Plant Sciences Building

‘A Meaningful Impact’

Amid rising interest in the rapidly expanding field of artificial intelligence, promising undergraduate and graduate students at NC State University are gaining experience in applying AI and data analytics in agriculture.…

Much-magnified image of the root-know nematode

Toward Faster Nematode Test Results

Plant-parasitic nematodes that feed on crops cause an estimated $80 billion to $157 billion in damage around the world each year. Two North Carolina State University faculty members aim to help…

Three people making a presentation in front of a poster that says "Hackathon"

Creating Cutting-Edge Ag Tech

Nearly 50 NC State University undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars spent a fall weekend competing in the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative’s fourth annual Hackathon, taking on real-world agricultural technology…

The Strategic Triad

The partnership of N.C. PSI, Plants for Human Health Institute and NC Food Innovation Lab is what the PSI is all about. This collaboration of government, academia, and industry aims to overcome the challenges associated with successful food production and healthier human consumption.

Take a closer look