Liana Acevedo-Siaca is a researcher in the Michigan State University-Department of Energy (MSU-DOE) Plant Research Laboratory (PRL). Her research currently focuses on understanding abiotic stress responses in C3 plants – such as to heat, drought, and excessive light – to make them more climate resilient. She is particularly interested in improving crop photosynthetic performance to enhance the crop’s productivity and sustainability.
Prior to joining MSU, Acevedo-Siaca completed her PhD at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, focusing on plant physiology and photosynthesis in rice. During graduate school she spent time at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines as a U.S. Borlaug Fellow in Global Food Security. Afterwards, she worked with the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) Project to better understand photosynthetic performance in soybean and tobacco. Most recently, Acevedo-Siaca worked at CIMMYT as an Associate Scientist in the Wheat Physiology division of the Global Wheat Program.