Pat Gensel’s research emphasizes the study of fossil plants of Devonian age, with the goals of contributing data about their morphology, structure, evolutionary relationships, and overall patterns of evolutionary change. She also conducts research on plants of Lower Carboniferous age, with the intent of better understanding whole plants, phyletic lines, and evolutionary change in the time immediately following the Devonian. Research on plants of Late Cretaceous age from North Carolina is also underway, particularly on conifers and angiosperm wood; collections of leaves and flowers await study — this is a period of time of radiation of early angiosperm groups and this region has been little studied for over 50 years. She is interested in plant morphology, pteridology, and palynology, especially aspects of in situ Devonian spores, stratigraphic applications, and the use of pollen or spores in systematic and phylogenetic analyses in modern and fossil plants.