Sona Pandey

Biography

Dr. Sona Pandey is a Principal Investigator and Member at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, USA. She is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Biology at Washington University, St. Louis.  She also currently serves as a Member of the Constitution and Bylaws committee of ASPB. She received a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemistry and M.Sc. in Biotechnology from Banaras Hindu University, India. She received her Ph.D. in Life Sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. Her postdoctoral training was at the Pennsylvania State University, USA. She joined the Danforth Center in 2008 as a Principal Investigator. Her area of specialization is Molecular and Cellular Plant Biology, with a special focus on understanding the signaling and developmental mechanisms that are operative during stress tolerance in plants. She leads a program that spans model and crop systems, connecting fundamental discoveries with real-world agricultural applications. Another aspect of her work examines the role of mosses in shaping the global carbon cycle, and what these unique organisms can teach us about plants' colonization of land and the adaptations that ultimately shaped the planet as we know it. She is also passionate about training the next generation of plant scientists, improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in work force, and effective science communication.