2026 PRI All-Hands Retreat
The 2026 Plant Resilience Institute (PRI) All-Hands Retreat will take place May 6-7, 2026, at the Michigan State University Multicultural Center. This event will provide an opportunity to meet other PRI members, share research, and establish common interests to facilitate collaborations.
PRI will be celebrating its ten-year anniversary in 2026! In honor of this landmark occasion, we are inviting PRI alumni and key stakeholders to join us on the first day of the retreat.
We are also pleased to welcome Professor of Agronomy Dr. Ignacio Ciampitti from Purdue University as our keynote speaker.
The PRI Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), Richard Dixon, Mary Lou Guerinot, Jan Leach, Corné Pieterse, and Anne Sylvester, will join us for the duration of the retreat to evaluate PRI’s research programs, progress, and impact.
Event Details
Date: May 6-7, 2026 (in-person only)
Times:
Wednesday, May 6: 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM EDT
Thursday, May 7: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM EDT
Location:
Michigan State University Multicultural Center
535 N Shaw Ln, East Lansing, MI 48824
Registration
Please fill out the registration form linked above to attend the retreat! You can register as a current PRI member, alumni, or guest/previous faculty. Registration closes on Monday, April 6, 2026, at 5:00 PM EDT.
Tentative Schedule
Day 1: Wednesday, May 6, 2026 – 10th Anniversary Celebration
| Time | Session | Presenter and/or Moderator |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM | Breakfast and sign-in | |
| 9:00 AM - 9:10 AM | Opening remarks | |
| 9:10 AM - 9:20 AM | State of PRI | Dr. Sue Rhee |
| 9:20 AM - 10:15 AM | PI flash talks (Part 1) 5-minute presentations 20-minute Q&A |
Drs. Kadeem Gilbert, Andrea Glassmire, Gregg Howe, Emily Joseph, Sarah Lebeis, David Lowry, and Peter Lundquist |
| 10:15 AM - 10:30 AM | Break | |
| 10:30 AM - 11:25 AM | PI flash talks (Part 2) 5-minute presentations 20-minute Q&A |
Drs. Sue Rhee, Hatem Rouached, Tom Sharkey, Christine Sprunger, Addie Thompson, Christopher Topp, and Robert VanBuren |
| 11:25 AM - 12:00 PM | Trainee flash talk competition 3-minute presentations |
Dr. Colette Berg, Andrew Bleich, Jonathan Concepcion, Madison Creach, Shannon Donnelly, Bailey Kleven Madison Plunkert, Dr. Kathe Rivera-Zuluaga, and Dr. Anuradhapura Singh |
| 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Lunch | |
| 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Keynote presentation | Dr. Ignacio Ciampitti, Professor of Agronomy, Purdue University |
| 2:00 PM - 2:20 PM | PRIME flagship project presentation | Dr. Gregg Howe |
| 2:20 PM - 2:40 PM | EWAS-PR flagship project presentation | Dr. Addie Thompson |
| 2:40 PM - 3:00 PM | GLACIER flagship project presentation | Dr. Robert VanBuren |
| 3:00 PM - 3:50 PM | Plant and Environmental Sciences Building (PESB) tour |
|
| 3:50 PM - 4:00 PM | Group photo | All attendees |
| 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Poster session 1 and networking time | PRI trainee poster presenters |
| 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM | Poster session 2 and networking time | PRI trainee poster presenters |
| 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM | Dinner | |
| 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Social time |
Day 2: Thursday, May 7, 2026 – Internal Retreat
| Time | Session | Presenter and/or Moderator |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM | Breakfast | |
| 9:00 AM - 9:05 AM | Opening remarks | |
| 9:05 AM - 10:00 AM | PRI Seed Grant proposal presentations | PRI Seed Grant awardees of cohort 5 |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Equipment and new technology presentation | |
| 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM | Break | |
| 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM | PRI Postdoctoral Fellows presentations 15-minute presentations 5-minute Q&A sessions |
Drs. Derek Denney, Joanna Feehan, and Jinny Yang |
| 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM | Lunch | |
| Concurrent session 1:15 PM - 2:15 PM |
Faculty meeting | PRI faculty members Moderator: Dr. Sue Rhee |
| Concurrent session 1:15 PM - 2:15 PM |
Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and trainee discussion |
SAB members and PRI trainees Moderator: Dr. Gaëlle Cassin-Ross |
| 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM | Final remarks and awards ceremony | Dr. Sue Rhee |
| 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM | Break | |
| Concurrent session 2:45 PM - 5:45 PM |
Faculty and SAB meeting | PRI faculty and SAB members |
| Concurrent session 2:45 PM - 5:45 PM |
Trainee meeting | PRI trainees Moderator: Dr. Gaëlle Cassin-Ross |
End of retreat.