ABA regulated processes and drought stress in crops by Peter McCourt

ABA regulated processes and drought stress in crops by Peter McCourt, Professor, Canada Research Chair in Plant Molecular Biology

Peter McCourt is a full professor in the Cell & Systems Biology at the University of Toronto.

Over the past 20 years, Peter’s research program has focused on how plant hormones or growth regulators direct growth and development. His major focus is on the hormone abscisic acid (ABA), which modulates plant growth during abiotic stresses such as drought. To this end, Peter’s group contributed to the identification of the ABA receptor, which was chosen as one of the top ten scientific breakthroughs of 2009 by the journal Science. He continues to study ABA by expanding core ABA signaling from a pathway to a network using the tools of systems biology. Recently his group is working on understanding a second hormone, strigolactone, which is an important chemical cue for seed germination in the parasitic plant Striga. This work was recently published in two articles in Science.

Peter held an Industrial Research Chair from 2000-2010 and presently holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Plant Molecular Biology. Peter’s contributions to the field of plant hormones have been acknowledged with the International Plant Growth Substances Association 2013 Silver medal and his applications to biotechnology with the 2012 Inventors of the Year award by the University of Toronto.