Doreen Ware

Doreen Ware

The plant genome, champion of its own survival, has been the focus of Doreen Ware’s career. Ware has targeted her genetics and computational science skills on plants, especially those that are important for agriculture and that continue to feed the world’s growing human population. Ware uses so-called forward and reverse genetics to dissect specific processes in an effort to understand gene function in plants. In forward genetics, she searches for the genetic basis of phenotypes of specific traits, while in reverse genetics, she tries to figure out what characteristics arise from specific genetic sequences. As for the future, Ware is looking forward to working with the scientists who use the gene-editing tool CRISPR.