The colloquium “Challenges in Plant Sciences” is a core class of the Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center's PhD program. The colloquium introduces participants to the broad spectrum of plant sciences within the network. The course offers the opportunity to approach interdisciplinary topics in the field of plant sciences.

Functional genomics is key to understanding the dynamic aspects of genome function and regulation. Functional genomics approaches use the wealth of data produced by large-scale DNA sequencing, gene expression profiling, proteomics and metabolomics. Today functional genomics is becoming increasingly important for the generation and interpretation of quantitative biological data.

In the module "Integrative Plant Sciences", which consists of the online course and seminar "Plant Response to Stress" (PRESS) and the colloquium "Challenges in Plant Sciences" , the focus lies on interdisciplinarity, ranging from molecular biology and biochemistry to ecosystem research, and an integrated understanding of plants in their environments.