Rajan Sekhon

Rajan Sekhon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Genetics and Biochemistry at Clemson University's College of Science. He holds a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from Pennsylvania State University (2007), M.S. in Plant Breeding (1994), and B.S. in Agriculture (1992) from Punjab Agricultural University. His research focuses on enhancing climate resilience in maize and sorghum through systems genetics, integrating multi-omics data to understand complex traits like stay-green senescence and stalk lodging resistance. Key areas include source-sink interactions in senescence regulation and biomechanical determinants of stem strength.

Dr. Sekhon leads a lab employing advanced phenotyping strategies, collaborative biomechanical modeling, and genetic analysis to address agricultural challenges such as yield loss from lodging and drought. He teaches courses in epigenetics, molecular genetics, and senior seminars. His work has been published in high-impact journals like Plant Cell and Plant Physiology, with over 60 reviewed manuscripts. He serves as an associate editor for Crop Science and has contributed to USDA-NIFA grant reviews.

His lab facilities are located across multiple rooms in the AG Biotech/Biosystems Research Complex (BRC 314-321), and he actively mentors students through outreach programs fostering STEM engagement. Research collaborations span material chemistry, mathematics, and agricultural engineering to advance genome-to-phenome mapping in crops.