Co-discoverer of the toxic marine organism Pfiesteria piscicida, which has been linked to massive fish kills and mysterious human health ailments in coastal waters. Also studies sea grasses and their importance to breeding grounds for fin and shell fish. How plants use natural chemicals to defend against insects, weeds and microbes. Toxicity of natural chemicals in the food supply and drugs from medicinal plants. Electrical signals and gene expression in plants.
Plant responses to gravity.
The cytoskeleton and protein synthesis. The effects on crops and forests of air pollutants, including ozone, gases from global climate change and point-source pollutants. The onset of flowering in plants and what causes plants to switch from vegetative to reproductive processes. Plant growth in controlled environments. Plant gene function.