Dr. Patrick Byrne, Professor, Soil and Crop Sciences Department, Colorado State University

My research program focuses on the application of quantitative and molecular genetics to crop improvement. Through quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis, we hope to locate and characterize the genes that control abiotic stress tolerance and end-use quality in wheat, yield and oil content in Brassica oilseed crops, and fungal disease resistance in common bean.

Dr. John McKay, Associate Professor, Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management Department, Colorado State University

We seek an understanding of the genetic basis of traits involved in adaptation to particular stresses (e.g. drought) for both applied (crop breeding, conservation, invasive species) and theoretical questions in ecology and evolution. Are adaptations due to: many genetic changes or only a few? New mutations or older alleles that persist at some frequency throughout the species range and history?