Stephen Long

Stephen P Long
photo by Don Hammerman

Dr. Stephen P Long

Robert Emerson Professor
Department of Crop Sciences
Department of Plant Biology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Deputy Director
Energy Biosciences Institute

Research Objectives:

To understand mechanisms of plant responses to both rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and tropospheric ozone, with particular reference to photosynthesis and relating changes at the molecular and biochemical level to observations of whole systems in the field.
Establish the potential of mitigation of atmospheric change through the development of herbaceous energy crops.
Advance the development of accessible mechanistic mathematical models relating environmental effects on photosynthesis to plant productivity (see WIMOVAC).
To understand the limitations to C4 photosynthesis and the adaptation of the process to cooler climates.

My lab integrates molecular and biochemical studies with physiological studies of photosynthesis, using state-of-the-art and custom built gas-exchange, fluorescence and controlled environment instrumentation. Much of the work involves developing and testing hypotheses on plant environmental responses under controlled conditions and then testing these in large-scale multi-partner field facilities.

The large-scale field facilities that we are currently using include: 1) The SoyFACE open-air CO2 and ozone fumigation experiment on the Experimental Station of the University of Illinois, 2) The Smithsonian Institution/NASA elevated CO2 chambers on the vegetation of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida; 3) The US-Forest Service/Michigan Technical University FACTS-II open-air CO2 and ozone fumigation experiment in Rhinelander, Wisconsin; and 4) The European Union Free-air CO2 field enrichment experiment with poplars (EUROFACE) at Viterbo in Italy.

We have active research links with several global change laboratories within and outside the US, including Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, Japan, Switzerland and the U.K. A number of our laboratories’ graduate students have undertaken a part of their research at the overseas sites.

Please feel free to contact me with questions and comments.

1109 Institute for Genomic Biology, MC-195
University of Illinois
1206 W. Gregory Dr.
Urbana, IL 61801-3838, USA
Fax: 217-244-3637 c/o Dr. Steve Long
Email Dr. Long

To view Dr. Long's curriculum vitae, click here.

Steve recently met with President Bush along with 7 other scientist at the White House to discuss Bioenergy options.

Stephen Long Lab

Please feel free to contact me with questions and comments.