The MORPH RCN fosters cross-disciplinary interactions between organismic and molecular plant biologists studying the evolution of morphological diversity to promote a modern synthesis in plant evolutionary developmental biology.

The primary activities of the MORPH RCN are to support training opportunities for students, postdoctorals, and early career professors between organismic (neobotanical and paleobotanical) and molecular labs; and a series of annual meetings and symposia that focus on current topics in plant evo-devo.

The anticipated impact of this network is the invigoration of the discipline of plant evolutionary developmental biology and an enhanced focus on the discovery of the underlying developmental principles that have governed the diversification of plant form over the last 500 million years.

Principal Investigator: William (Ned) Friedman (ned@colorado.edu)

Steering committee: Pamela K. Diggle, Patricia G. Gensel, Sarah C. Hake, Larry Hufford, Vivian F. Irish, Michael D. Purugganan, Susan R. Singer

Webmaster: Rob Baker (Robert.Baker@colorado.edu)