INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State University (WVSU) researcher Dr. Sanju Sanjaya, director of WVSU’s Energy and Environmental Science Institute has been awarded a prestigious $1,279,407 Excellence in Research (EiR) grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
This grant recognizes Sanjaya’s groundbreaking research into the processes that control lipid droplet formation in plants. His work holds the promise of making substantial improvements in vegetable oil production, improving the nutritional quality of oilseed crops and bioenergy production.
Sanjaya expressed his gratitude and excitement about the award, saying “This is a huge deal as it is the first Excellence in Research grant for West Virginia State University. We are thrilled to contribute solutions to the pressing climate change challenges that the world is currently confronting, while also empowering our students to excel in their STEM careers.”
The project “Dissection of the Molecular Mechanisms Controlling Lipid Droplet Abundance in Plants” is led by Sanjaya as a Principal Investigator and supported by his Co-Principal Investigators Bagyalaskshmi Muthan, also of West Virginia State University, and Dr. Changcheng Xu, from Stony Brook University, and Brookhaven National Laboratory. The team will use forward and reverse genetics, genomics, lipidomics, molecular and biochemical methodologies to explore the Sterol Ester Overaccumulation1 protein’s function in vegetable oil biosynthesis in plants.
Sanjaya’s research will advance scientific knowledge and provide experiential learning opportunities for WVSU students. The program will involve undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in cutting-edge genomics, biotechnology and molecular biology experiments. Students will gain hands-on experience in a dedicated plant biotechnology lab at WVSU and participate in research lab visits at partner institutions.
For more information, please visit the award page at the National Science Foundation.
The award #2401935 is entitled “Excellence in Research: Collaborative Research: Dissection of the Molecular Mechanisms Controlling Lipid Droplet Abundance in Plants.”
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