Research Interests

Dr. Vogel’s research is focused on developing plant functional genomic resources and utilizing these resources to understand genome organization and regulation, abiotic stress tolerance, plant-microbe interactions, and the molecular basis of perenniality. Most projects in his lab utilize B. distachyon and related species as model systems to develop knowledge that will ultimately be used to improve biomass crops like switchgrass. Major projects currently underway include: 1) Defining the pan-genome of B. distachyon through de-novo assembly and annotation of 100 natural accessions 2) Using a trio of Brachypodium species as a model for polyploidy in order to understand polyploid genome evolution and regulation 3) Using a defined microbiome to identify plant genes that influence the composition and function of the root microbiome 4) Determining the molecular mechanism of engineered resistance to multiple abiotic stresses and the molecular basis of perenniality using the perennial model grass Brachypodium sylvaticum 5) Developing a comprehensive collection of defined grass mutants by sequencing chemical and radiation induced mutants.

Selected Publications