Plant roots serve as a major interface with the surrounding world. Siobhán Brady and her research group investigate the ways plant root cell types deal with stress by devising cell wall modifications and natural barriers to resist drought, flooding, mineral deficiencies, and other insults. Her group has demonstrated the modular nature of these responses and aims to elucidate the genetic rules that determine their composition, cell type dependence, subcellular position and function. By learning directly from the multifaceted ways that plants have adapted to stressful environments, this research will be used to help mitigate the harmful consequences of climate change.