Steve Moose

Steve Moose is director of the Corn Functional Genomics Lab and a Professor of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois. He received his B.S. in Biology from Case Western Reserve University, and went on to earn his Ph.D. in Genetics and Crop Sciences from North Carolina State University. Prior to coming to Illinois, he led a project whose aim was to increase the nutritional quality of corn for Dekalb Genetics Corporation. He has published over 35 papers in journals such as Plant Physiology and Genetics.

Moose’s research has focused on genomics and breeding within the Saccharinae tribe of grasses, which includes sugarcane, Miscanthus, and sorghum.

His group constructed a complete genetic map for Miscanthus sinensis which exposed the mechanisms of low temperature tolerance in Miscanthus.  As part of the PETROSS program, Steve will use his expertise in Saccharinae functional genomics to identify genes and promoters that may be used to improve the cold tolerance of sugarcane and sorghum.