Robert VanBuren named associate director of MSU Plant Resilience Institute
The Michigan State University Plant Resilience Institute (PRI) has named faculty member Robert “Bob” VanBuren as its new associate director.
VanBuren will serve as a key member of the PRI leadership team, helping oversee the institute’s operations and progress. He was nominated and elected for the position by his fellow PRI faculty members and director Sue Rhee.
“Bob's deep engagement with PRI, combined with his broad perspective on plant research, makes him an outstanding choice for associate director,” Rhee said. “He’s played an active role in the institute by leading faculty searches, serving on committees, and contributing to numerous research initiatives, and I’m delighted to work with him in this new capacity. I’m also grateful to Bob’s department chairs, Sydney Everhart and Andrea Case, for encouraging him to take on this important role with PRI.”
An associate professor with joint appointments in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences and Department of Plant Biology, VanBuren has been a PRI faculty member since joining MSU in 2016.
“PRI has been an important part of my time at MSU over the past 10 years, and I’m excited for the opportunity to help shape its next phase,” VanBuren said.
The VanBuren lab’s research explores how plants adapt to environmental extremes, with a particular emphasis on the genetic and genomic mechanisms underlying drought and desiccation tolerance. His work spans fundamental discoveries in plant biology and their potential application to build more resilient crops, reflecting PRI’s emphasis on connecting fundamental, translational, and applied science.
“With PRI’s new field-to-lab initiatives, growing research community, and upcoming transition to the Plant and Environmental Science Building, there are a lot of exciting things happening,” VanBuren said. “I’m looking forward to working with Sue and colleagues across PRI to expand on that momentum and help the institute grow in new directions.”
VanBuren succeeds David Lowry, who stepped down as associate director earlier this year to assume a new leadership role as the MSU subcontract lead at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.
“I am thrilled Bob will be taking over as associate director, as he is one of the most prolific and impactful plant genomic scientists of his generation,” Lowry said. “He is also a really thoughtful person who cares deeply for his lab members and the plant community at MSU.”
Moving forward, PRI is continuing to increase its collaborative capacity and expertise in plant resilience research under VanBuren and Rhee’s leadership.
“I am truly excited about what lies ahead for our community,” Rhee said. “Together, we have an opportunity to deepen connections across our broader community at MSU and amplify the impact of plant science globally.”
