Integrating Novel Genomic, Biophysical, Computational and Visualization Approaches to Advance Plant Lipid Research

Among the priority goals of the United Nations are to "End hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture". Plant lipids, such as fats, oils and waxes are key players in human nutrition and important commodities for diverse industrial processes. Moreover, biological regulation by lipid messengers contributes to plant stress tolerance and adaptation to a globally changing environment.

The 2019 Gordon Research Conference on "Plant Lipids: Structure, Metabolism, and Function" will provide an international platform to discuss and integrate new approaches to understand plant lipids, including the complex metabolism of storage lipids and their links to biological membranes. Detail topics include new techniques for lipid visualization and detection, novel molecular and gene editing approaches to optimize plant lipid metabolism, computational analysis/modeling, and the study of lipid-interaction with other molecules to develop new strategies to understand and utilize the role of lipids in plant growth, environmental signaling, cellular structure, and the production of valuable lipids for food, health, industry, and fuel.

The meeting theme “Integrating Novel Genomic, Biophysical, Computational and Visualization Approaches to Advance Plant Lipid Research" will combine knowledge, creativity, and cutting-edge thinking of established and next-generation lipid researchers from academia, scientific institutes, and industry culminating in a final keynote session where speakers will discuss ideas to use these new insights and technologies and bring lipid research into the future and to the forefront of science.

The conference will be preceded by a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Plant Lipids, where graduate students and postdoctoral researchers can share research, develop research and social networks in a supportive environment, and discuss career choices with meeting mentors. We encourage young scientists to participate in the Gordon Research Seminar and the subsequent Gordon Research Conference. We hope to foster broad participation in the Gordon Research Conference.