Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz, University of Calgary

Research

auxin-driven patterning branching pattern computational modeling, simulation and visualization growth and form L-system morphogenesis phyllotaxis plant development

Latest papers

Reticulate leaf venation in Pilea peperomioides is a Voronoi diagram.
Nature communications · 2026
Pillars of theoretical biology: 'Mathematical models for cellular interaction in development, I and II'.
Journal of theoretical biology · 2025 · first author
From spots to stripes: Evolution of pigmentation patterns in monkeyflowers via modulation of a reaction-diffusion system and its prepatterns.
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025

All 32 publications

Latest funding

Computational biology of plant development: Towards a deductive science
NSERC · 2019 · Principal investigator
$204,000
Mesoscopic models of plant development
NSERC · 2014 · Principal investigator
$460,000
Mesoscopic models of plant development
NSERC · 2014 · Principal investigator
$120,000

All 17 grants and awards

32 publications.

01

Reticulate leaf venation in Pilea peperomioides is a Voronoi diagram.

Zheng CX, Palit S, Venezia M, Blum E, Pedmale UV, Jackson D, Scarpella E, Prusinkiewicz P, Navlakha S

Nature communications2026

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-71768-3 PMID: 42120381

02

Pillars of theoretical biology: 'Mathematical models for cellular interaction in development, I and II'.

Prusinkiewicz P

Journal of theoretical biology2025First author

DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2025.112142 PMID: 40368084

03

From spots to stripes: Evolution of pigmentation patterns in monkeyflowers via modulation of a reaction-diffusion system and its prepatterns.

Liang M, Ringham L, Ye C, Yan X, Schaumburger N, Cieslak M, Blinov M, Prusinkiewicz P, Yuan YW

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2025

DOI: 10.1101/2025.01.10.632501 PMID: 39829766

04

The hidden diversity of vascular patterns in flower heads.

Owens A, Zhang T, Gu P, Hart J, Stobbs J, Cieslak M, Elomaa P, Prusinkiewicz P

The New phytologist2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1111/nph.19571 PMID: 38361330

05

Developmental timing in plants.

Coen E, Prusinkiewicz P

Nature communications2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46941-1 PMID: 38531864

06

Diversity of woodland strawberry inflorescences arises from heterochrony regulated by TERMINAL FLOWER 1 and FLOWERING LOCUS T.

Lembinen S, Cieslak M, Zhang T, Mackenzie K, Elomaa P, Prusinkiewicz P, Hytönen T

The Plant cell2023

DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad086 PMID: 36943776

07

Phyllotaxis without symmetry: what can we learn from flower heads?

Prusinkiewicz P, Zhang T, Owens A, Cieslak M, Elomaa P

Journal of experimental botany2022First author

DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac101 PMID: 35275600

08

Computational Models of Auxin-Driven Patterning in Shoots.

Cieslak M, Owens A, Prusinkiewicz P

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a040097 PMID: 34001531

09

Phyllotactic patterning of gerbera flower heads.

Zhang T, Cieslak M, Owens A, Wang F, Broholm SK, Teeri TH, Elomaa P, Prusinkiewicz P

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2021Senior author

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2016304118 PMID: 33771923

10

Latent Space Phenotyping: Automatic Image-Based Phenotyping for Treatment Studies.

Ubbens J, Cieslak M, Prusinkiewicz P, Parkin I, Ebersbach J, Stavness I

Plant phenomics (Washington, D.C.)2020

DOI: 10.34133/2020/5801869 PMID: 33313558

Computational biology of plant development: Towards a deductive science

Principal investigatorNSERC2019Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw

Keywords: auxin-driven patterning; branching pattern; computational modeling, simulation and visualization; growth and form; L-system; morphogenesis; phyllotaxis; plant development; self-organization; vascular system

$204,000

Mesoscopic models of plant development

Principal investigatorNSERC2014Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw

$460,000

Mesoscopic models of plant development

Principal investigatorNSERC2014Discovery Grants Program - Accelerator Supplements

Principal investigators: Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw

$120,000

Computational models of plant development and form

Principal investigatorNSERC2008Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw

$405,000

Modeling of development and developmental computing

Principal investigatorNSERC2003Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw

$300,000

Workstations for the computer graphics laboratory

Principal investigatorNSERC1999Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw

$49,964

Visual modeling of plants

Principal investigatorNSERC1999Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw

$205,800

A usability laboratory supporting research in human computer interaction

Co-investigatorNSERC1998Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Greenberg, Saul

$44,624

Replacement of obsolete computer graphics workstations

Co-investigatorNSERC1995Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Wyvill, Brian

$78,874

Computational models and visualization of plant development

Principal investigatorNSERC1995Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw

$167,690

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Computer Science
Statistics and Actuarial Science
Biological Sciences
Medicine

Co-authors at University of Calgary, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Adam Runions

Computer Science

5 shared papers, latest 2018

Ian Stavness

Computer Science

2 shared papers, latest 2020

Christiane Lemieux

Statistics and Actuarial Science

1 shared papers, latest 2008

Enrico Scarpella

Biological Sciences

1 shared papers, latest 2026

Robert Gniadecki

Medicine

1 shared papers, latest 2019

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their NSERC grant from 2019

Subject: Prospective PhD student: auxin-driven patterning Dear Professor Prusinkiewicz, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Reticulate leaf venation in Pilea peperomioides is a Voronoi diagram." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your NSERC-funded project "Computational biology of plant development: Towards a deductive science" (2019), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]