Dr. Can Baysal
Assistant Professor
Dr. Can Baysal is a Plant Molecular Biologist who earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural, Food Science and Technology from the University of Lleida, Spain. His doctoral research focused on targeted genome editing and engineering biological nitrogen fixation in cereals, including the first demonstration of active nitrogenase component expression in rice mitochondria.
He then joined the University of Minnesota as a postdoctoral researcher and later as a staff scientist, where he developed plant RNA virus–based platforms for genome engineering in both monocot and dicot species. During this time, he also contributed to the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), working to overcome transformation bottlenecks in genome editing for bioenergy crops. Notably, his research pioneered the use of plant RNA viruses as robust tools for in planta genome editing in sorghum.
Dr. Baysal currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), with appointments in the Horticultural Sciences Department and the Crop Transformation Center (CTC), where he leads the Plant Genome Engineering Team (PGE).
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RESEARCH
Baysal Lab focuses on advancing genome editing and transformation technologies to accelerate gene discovery and functional analysis across crop species, with particular emphasis on citrus.
Current Projects:
Research Capacity Fund (Hatch): Genome Engineering Platforms for Trait Discovery, Crop Improvement, and Disease Response in Plants.
BIO7622: Engineering transgenic citrus with enhanced resistance/tolerance to Huanglongbing (HLB) by introducing multigene stacks that target host–pathogen–vector interactions.
BIO7682: Developing RNA viral vectors for non-integrative, multispecies delivery of full CRISPR-based editing systems, enabling tissue-culture–free in planta genome editing.
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EXTENSION
Dr. Baysal's extension and outreach program focuses on enhancing awareness of virus-mediated transformation technologies among extension specialists, county faculty and agents, stakeholders, and the broader public.
Mailing Address:
Horticultural Sciences
University of Florida
Fifield Hall
2550 Hull Rd
PO Box 110690
Gainesville, FL 32611
Office: 2215 Fifield Hall
Phone: 352-273-4354
E-mail: can.baysal@ufl.edu