Jianfei Shao

My research experiences and interests involve studying plant interactions with various aspects with their environments, such as interactions with abiotic stresses (salinity, drought etc..), with mutualistic symbiotic partners (mycorrhizal fungi, nitrogen fixing bacteria) as well as plant-pollinator interactions.

Currently, my PhD project (with Dr. Hafiz Maherali) will be centred on the evolution of plant-AM (arbuscular mycorrhizal) fungi associations, with the specific focus on how these symbioses may have played important parts in shaping the diversification of plant traits, such as root morphology and root architecture. I am also interested in potentially looking at how these symbioses impact plant responses to abiotic stresses.