Michael Purugganan

Michael Purugganan is a Silver Professor and Professor of Biology at New York University, serving as Dean for Science in the Faculty of Arts and Science. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of the Philippines (1985), an M.A. in Chemistry from Columbia University (1986), and a Ph.D. in Botany with a Global Policy minor from the University of Georgia (1993). His research focuses on plant evolutionary genomics, particularly crop domestication and adaptation. Key areas include understanding the genetic basis of plant adaptations, the evolution of domesticated crops like rice, and the genetics of social behavior in Dictyostelium discoideum.

Dr. Purugganan has received prestigious awards such as the Guggenheim Fellowship and AAAS Fellowship. His work integrates genomic, ecological, and computational approaches to study plant evolution and domestication. He collaborates with institutions globally, including NYU Abu Dhabi and the International Rice Research Institute. His lab is funded by the NSF Plant Genome Research Program and the Population and Evolutionary Processes program.

Purugganan’s research spans diverse topics from genomic studies of rice and pineapple to the evolutionary origins of multicellularity. He serves on editorial boards for journals like Genome Biology and Evolution and Molecular Ecology. His contributions bridge evolutionary biology, genomics, and agricultural science, emphasizing the interplay between genetics and human culture in shaping crop species.