My research is focused on the development and functions of chloroplasts in plants. Chloroplasts are the subcellular organelles responsible for photosynthesis – the process whereby sunlight energy is harnessed to power the cellular activities of life. Consequently, chloroplasts are of vital importance, not just to plants, but (owing to trophic dependencies, and agriculture) to the vast majority of organisms, including animals and humans.

Chloroplasts are remarkably complex structures. Each one contains numerous copies of roughly 3000 different proteins, with functions linked to photosynthesis and other essential processes. Most of these proteins are not made inside chloroplasts, but instead are made elsewhere in the cell and must be imported by the chloroplasts as they develop. Our research seeks to understand how these essential proteins are delivered to developing chloroplasts. We work with a small model plant called thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) as well as with crop species including rice, tomato and brassica.