Giraldo Lab

Welcome to the Giraldo Lab! 

We are a team of interdisciplinary scientists working at the interface between plant/algae biology and nanotechnology. The lab shares affiliations with Botany and Plant Sciences, Material Science and Engineering, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, Center for Plant Biology, Microbiology, Cell Molecular and Developmental Biology and the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology.

We are developing nanotechnology based tools to study and engineer plant/algae function at levels of organization ranging from chloroplasts to whole organisms. We have developed nanotechnology approaches for targeted delivery of agrochemicals and plasmid DNA to specific tissues and organelles. Our high spatiotemporal resolution nanosensors are allowing optical communication between plants and electronic devices for understanding plant cell signaling and monitoring plant health in real time. We are discovering how physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles affect their interactions with plant/algae surfaces and biomolecules. Using nanotechnology and bioengineering approaches, we seek to turn plants/algae into technology by enabling them with novel functions such as acting as environmental sentinels or rapid biomanufacturing devices.