My research focuses on small peptides that regulate plant immunity and stress resistance in maize. In particular, I study novel and non-canonical peptides, including small open reading frame-encoded peptides (SEPs), which are derived from previously unannotated coding sequences such as intergenic regions, untranslated regions (UTRs), introns, etc. I work on identifying these peptides and understanding how they influence disease resistance and plant adaptation under environmental stress. Based on my work on photoperiod and circadian control of flowering time, I am especially interested in circadian-related small peptides and how they connect daily rhythms with defense responses. I aim to understand how biological rhythms, peptide signals, and immune pathways work together to coordinate growth and disease resistance, ultimately contributing to the development of resilient crop varieties.