**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THERE IS A HIGH PRIORITY, YET UNMET NEED FOR IMPROVED MICROBE RESISTANCE IN CROPS TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY. PLANT IMMUNITY AGAINST PATHOGENIC MICROBES IS STRONGLY IMPACTED BY THE SPECIFICITY OF PATTERN RECOGNITION RECEPTORS SUCH AS FLS2. OUR LAB IS PARTICULARLY WELL SUITED TO ADDRESS THIS CHALLENGE. OUR EXTENSIVE PROTEIN ENGINEERING EXPERTISE IN HIGH-THROUGHPUT CELL SURFACE DISPLAY, LIBRARY DESIGN, DIRECTED EVOLUTION, AND MACHINE LEARNING ENABLES US TO CAPTURE PLANT-PEST INTERACTIONS WITH UNPRECEDENTED DETAIL. WITH THE ADVANTAGE OF GENERATING MUTAGENIC LIBRARIES WITH UP TO 109 UNIQUE VARIANTS, OUR APPROACH TO NARROW DOWN AND DESIGN IMPROVED IMMUNE RECEPTORS WILL EASE THE BURDEN OF CHARACTERIZATION, LEADING TO A WEALTH OF NEW KNOWLEDGE OF PLANT-PATHOGEN INTERACTIONS THAT WILL SHAPE HOW WE ENGINEER SUSTAINABLE CROPS IN THE FUTURE.