This IRP is dedicated to plant morphogenesis, i.e. the mechanisms underlying shape at different scales. The current approach to morphogenesis is that, by controlling cell fate, chemical signals change mechanical properties, inducing changes in cell shape that in turn regulate genetic networks, thus dynamically altering the distribution of chemical and mechanical signals and channelling shape development. 

However, our understanding of the physical and molecular basis of morphogenesis in plants and other eukaryotic systems remains limited due to the complexity and non-linearity of the processes involved in space and time. Understanding the dynamics of morphogenesis requires a modelling environment that allows for an explicit multi-scale representation of shapes and allows for the consideration of complex data of various natures (chemical, mechanical, geometric).

This IRP, in addition to creating a unique scientific grouping, will provide the critical mass and interdisciplinary expertise to create such an environment while allowing the generation of the experimental data necessary for an integrated understanding of the action of physico-chemical signals in morphogenesis.