Prof. Hirt’s research is focused on how plants can survive under abiotic or biotic stress conditions. The main interest lies in how protein kinases can reprogram gene expression. At KAUST, Prof. Hirt is establishing two research groups. One research group focuses on how MAP kinases target chromatin to prime stress tolerance at both the genetic and the epigenetic level. The other research group searches for rhizosphere microbes of desert plants and investigates their potential and mechanisms to induce stress tolerance in plants. Although the major part of these two projects is carried out in Arabidopsis, the generated knowledge will be applied to crop plants with the aim to provide sustainable solutions to reestablish agriculture in arid regions or under extreme environmental conditions.