Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology

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The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology operates in three major university nodes: The University of Western Australia; Australian National University and the University of Flinders. They combine world-leading expertise and experience in organelle biology (chloroplasts, mitochondria and peroxisomes) with complementary expertise in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, biochemistry and physiology. The four research programs are working towards identifying the mechanisms by which subcellular energy metabolism and communication systems control plant growth and development. These programs are underpinned by four cutting-edge technology platforms. These frontier technologies are applied to the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana to identify the key regulatory factors that control the biogenesis of organelles and their role in energy metabolism. This knowledge contributes to resources and knowledge for improving plant performance, particularly in marginal environments and in response to climate change, thereby providing the means to enhance the yield and nutritional value of a range of agricultural products. A major outcome for this research and expertise is the contribution to the education and training of a new generation of plant science researchers and increasing the public and industry profile of molecular and genomic science in Australia.