The discipline of Botany (originally Plant Physiology) at the College of Life Sciences started to recruit Master students from 1979, and was authorized to award PhD degrees in 1998.

1. Major research areas

•Photosynthesis and its molecular regulation

•Plant stress biology and molecular mechanisms

•Molecular mechanisms of nitrate regulation in plants

•Secondary metabolism and plant defense

•Light signal transduction regulation in plants

2. Faculty team

There are 19 faculty members in the discipline of Botany, including nine professors and five associate professors. Awards include one title of "National Outstanding Youth", one was election into the “Thousand Young Talents Project” by the Central Organization Department, and two titles of “Taishan Scholars”.

3. Current research projects

In the last five years, the faculty has successively undertaken over 19 projects from the National 973 Project, the National Major Scientific Research Project, and the National Natural Science Foundation.

4. Publications and achievements

The faculty members have published research papers in high level international academic journals, such as PNAS, Plant Cell, Plant Physiology, Molecular Plant and New Phytologist.