Interdisciplinary Plant Group

Speakers | Important Dates | Organizing Committee

The 6th IPG Root Biology Symposium will bring together leading experts in root biology from around the world and provide a forum for interactions among prominent scholars, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate and undergraduate students. It will cover a broad range of topics, including root development and growth, root function in water and nutrient uptake, responses to abiotic and biotic stress, and root-microbe interactions. Research presented will span spatial and temporal scales and will encompass studies based on model, crop, and native species. The symposium will enable close interactions among all participants to foster the generation of new ideas and collaborations that will ultimately contribute to more sustainable crop production and enhance ecosystem services.

The symposium will be held at the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center on the Columbia campus of the University of Missouri, USA, from May 20-23, 2025.

Confirmed Speakers

• Jean Michele Ané, University of Wisconsin - Madison, US
• Taryn Bauerle, Cornell University, US
• Dorte Bodin Dresbøll, University of Copenhagen
• Ian Dodd, Lancaster University, UK
• José Dinneny, Stanford University, US
• José Estévez, Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB), Chile, and National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Argentina
• Molly Hanlon, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
• Dior Kelley, Iowa State University, US
• Sylvia Morais De Sousa, EMBRAPA, Brazil
• Eric Ober, National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), UK
• Bipin Pandey, University of Nottingham, UK
• Hannah Schneider, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Germany
• Bob Sharp, University of Missouri, US
• Erin Sparks, University of Delaware, US
• Paul Verslues, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, R.O.C.
• Priya Voothuluru, University of Missouri, US
• Yusaku Uga, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Japan
• Yajun Wu, South Dakota State University, US
• Larry York, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US

Important Dates

Application for travel award due: April 18, 2025
Abstract deadline (to be considered for a short talk or speed talk): April 18, 2025
Abstract deadline (to be included in abstract book): April 25, 2025
Accommodation deadline: April 22, 2025
Registration deadline: May 9, 2025

Organizing Committee

• David Braun, Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri
  (Director, IPG)
• Felix Fritschi, Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri
  (Chair)
• Molly Hanlon, Donald Danforth Plant Sciences Center
• Marc Libault, Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri
• Mannie Liscum, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri
• Dalton Ludwick, USDA-ARS
• Bruna Montes Luz, Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri
  (Graduate Student Representative)
• Nga Nguyen, Division of Biochemistry, University of Missouri
  (Postdoctoral Fellow Representative)
• Robert Sharp, Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri
• Priya Voothuluru, Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri
  (Co-Chair)

• Vicki Bryan, IPG Coordinator, University of Missouri (Logistical support)
• Erica Lovercamp, Conference Coordinator, MU Conference Office (Logistical support)