CEPLAS - Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences

CEPLAS is a joint Plant Science Center of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, University of Cologne, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research and Forschungszentrum Jülich. The CEPLAS mission is to unravel the genetic mechanisms that underpin plant adaption to the environment and to translate these findings to sustainable, resource-efficient agriculture. CEPLAS hence contributes to solving the major challenge of sustainably feeding a growing population in a changing climate. CEPLAS deciphers the complex genetics of plant traits (and their interactions) that influence plant growth, yield, and the usage of resources. CEPLAS employs an interdisciplinary team science approach that includes molecular (plant) biology, biochemistry, genetics and genomics, microbiology, modelling, data sciences, and evolution. Beyond advancing knowledge, CEPLAS excels in promoting early career researchers, from the undergraduate to the postdoctoral level. Our early career researchers are trained in structured, international programs that cover both disciplinary and transferable skills and hence prepare for a multitude of career opportunities.