Laura Gunn

Laura Gunn is an Assistant Professor at the Plant Biology Section of the School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University. Her research focuses on engineering the CO₂-fixing enzyme Rubisco to enhance photosynthetic efficiency and crop yields under extreme environmental conditions.

• Key research areas: Carbon fixation, Synthetic biology, Structural biology, Plant biochemistry, and Biophysics
• Major projects include:
  • Investigating pyrenoid-based CO₂-concentrating mechanisms in hornworts
  • Characterizing structural and catalytic diversity of Rubisco across bryophytes
  • Developing Rhodobacter sphaeroides Rubisco as a scaffold for engineering red-lineage enzymes
  • Unraveling temperature acclimation mechanisms in Solanaceae Rubisco

Her recent work has demonstrated successful expression of red-type Rubisco in tobacco chloroplasts through metabolic repair by RsRca activase, resulting in >2× improved photosynthesis and growth. She received the DOE Early Career Award (2023) for studying ancient enzymes to modernize photosynthesis. Her lab employs synthetic biology, structural analysis, and computational tools to address Rubisco’s catalytic limitations.