Research
Rooted in Arizona, with impact around the globe.
Growing future solutions in plant sciences.
Arid or Drylands cover about 40% of the world’s land surface, support nearly 60% of global food production and are home to some of the world’s fastest-growing populations. From improving sustainable agricultural systems in arid climates to understanding microbial impacts on plant, human and environmental health, the work we do here can impact the world.
Interdisciplinary by nature.
Our research activities take place in the laboratory, in controlled growth environments and in the field. The resulting discoveries help us adapt to the challenges of a changing climate and sustainably produce food, fibers, and fuels while minimizing our environmental impact.
Growing a sustainable future requires an interdisciplinary approach. Learn how we're bridging disciplinary boundaries to produce purpose-driven science with real-world impact.
Connect with our faculty experts by choosing a topic below to browse a directory of researchers in that area.
Collections & Institutes
University of Arizona Herbarium
The University of Arizona Herbarium is a research collection of over 430,000 dried plant specimens, with emphasis on the plants of the Sonoran Desert region and adjacent areas of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.
Robert L. Gilbertson Mycological Herbarium
The Mycological Herbarium holds more than 40,000 dried fungal specimens and over 100,000 strains of endophytic fungi, with special emphasis on polypores, rust fungi, corticioid fungi, and diverse Pezizomycotina.
Arizona Genomics Institute
Founded in 2002, the Arizona Genomics Institute (AGI) has been instrumental in genomic research, initially creating a BAC library and assembling the BAC-based physical map of the rice genome, and leading the US effort in sequencing parts of it as part of a major international project.
ARID: Agroecosystem Research in the Desert
Providing evidenced-based knowledge and solutions to the challenges facing arid land agroecosystems, the Center for Agroecosystem Research in the Desert is the newest within the School of Plant Sciences and the College of Agriculture, Life, and Environmental Sciences. Pairing data science and technology with workforce training and community outreach, the Center works at the intersection of agricultural production and holistic ecosystem science.
Arizona Experiment Station
Founded through the Hatch Act of 1887 and part of a national, interconnected network of research resources, the Arizona Experiment Station provides best-in-class infrastructural support through 11 STEM innovation hubs across the state. With locations spanning the geographic and biological diversity of the state, the Experiment Station provides our faculty and partners scalable opportunities for research and technological development – from incubation to large scale experimentation and industry implementation.
News, breakthroughs and profiles in science
Explore the work we're doing to put science to work to solve real-world problems.
