Root systems connect plants to their soil environments and enable survival when resources are scarce. José Dinneny is identifying the molecular basis for the adaptations that allow roots to efficiently find and capture water while avoiding the perilous effects of drought and salinity. Using biodiverse plant species, including extremophytes that grow in the harshest environments, Dinneny focuses on developmental processes that establish the architecture of the root system, and he uses synthetic biology approaches to leverage such discoveries to test structure-function relationships and establish a path toward crop improvement.