Dr. Klein's research focuses on developing the genomic tools and resources in crops to enable map base cloning of economically important genes, and to understand the underlying mechanisms that plants use to withstand biotic and abiotic stress. Dr. Klein conducts genetic studies on several plant species including sorghum, rose, and pecan. In 2012, Dr. Klein was awarded the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean's Outstanding Achievement Award for excellence as a member of the Sorghum Bioenergy Breeding and Genomics Interdisciplinary Research Team.