Marta Laskowski

Marta Laskowski serves as a Professor in the Department of Biology at Oberlin College's College of Arts and Sciences, where she maintains an active research laboratory investigating plant developmental mechanisms. Her work uniquely bridges molecular genetics with observable morphological phenomena in plants.

Her educational foundation includes a BS from Indiana University Bloomington (1983) and a PhD from Stanford University (1990), providing the basis for her specialized expertise in plant developmental systems.

Dr. Laskowski's research program centers on plant root development, particularly how lateral roots form and mature in Arabidopsis thaliana. Through innovative use of soil-filled rhizotrons, she has demonstrated that roots undergo distinct developmental stages analogous to shoot systems. Her groundbreaking work on bunchberry flowers (Exploding Flowers) reveals how these plants propel pollen in under 0.5 milliseconds, challenging assumptions about plant movement speed. Current investigations focus on gene regulatory networks connecting shoot juvenility factors (miR156) with root development through PLETHORA transcription factors.

Her publication trajectory shows consistent contributions from foundational biology textbooks to high-impact developmental research. Recent work demonstrates increasing sophistication in unraveling connections between shoot and root developmental timing, with significant implications for understanding whole-plant architecture. This research appears in premier journals including Development, Plant Cell, and PLoS Biology, where her 2008 paper received special recognition in Cell.

Dr. Laskowski maintains a strong commitment to undergraduate research mentorship through BIOL 321 and the honors program. Her 2022 Development paper featured multiple undergraduate co-authors investigating how juvenility factors influence root system density, exemplifying her dedication to involving students in meaningful discovery. She actively recruits students for year-long research commitments in her laboratory.

Her laboratory operations utilize specialized rhizotron systems for root observation combined with molecular genetic tools, creating a collaborative environment where students gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge plant developmental research techniques.