Professor Asaph Cousins Asaph is Professor of Plant Metabolism. His research couples plant physiology and mathematical modeling of photosynthesis to understand the mechanisms controlling plant-environment interactions. The research uses a variety of techniques, including field experiments, leaf and whole plant gas exchange, biochemistry, and metabolite analysis to elucidate the mechanisms influencing the efficiency of C₄ photosynthesis in response to changing environmental conditions.

Dr. Rita Giuliani Rita is currently a research associate in the Cousins Lab at WSU. She received her PhD in Ecophysiology from the University of Bologna, Italy. She has experience in plant physiology, biochemistry, photosynthesis and CO₂ isotope exchange. Her current research involves photosynthetic, physiological and enzymatic characterization of transgenic rice lines which have had various C₄ traits introduced into them.