I am a plant molecular biologist with a major interest in plant development and its regulation by the environment. I gained first insight into this topic during my Diploma thesis work in the group of Joanna Putterill at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, studying flowering time regulation in Medicago truncatula, and later as a Ph.D. student and research associate in the group of Ute Hoecker at the University of Cologne, Germany, investigating light signalling in Arabidopsis thaliana. In 2016 joined the group of Philip Wigge at the Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge University (SLCU), UK, as an EMBO Long-term fellow to study temperature perception in plants. I remained at SLCU afterwards and am currently a research associate in the group of Alexander Jones, developing phytohormone biosensors.
As I scientist I am fascinated by the plasticity of plant development and how this is regulated by both intrinsic and environmental factors. My research focuses on how external signals such as light and temperature control plant shape, size and developmental progression – how are these signals perceived, which molecules are involved in the signalling process and how is a response to these signals generated? I employ genetic, genomic, protein-biochemical and molecular biology techniques to tackle these questions.
Hydration-dependent phase separation of a prion-like protein regulates seed germination during water stress
The Arabidopsis NOT4A E3 ligase coordinates PGR3 expression to regulate chloroplast protein translation
Direct ETTIN-auxin interaction controls chromatin state in gynoecium development
Building customizable auto-luminescent luciferase-based reporters in plants
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Plants with self-sustained luminescence
Coordination of Tissue Cell Polarity by Auxin Transport and Signaling
Plant photoreceptors and their signaling components compete for binding to the ubiquitin ligase COP1 using their VP-peptide motifs
A SOSEKI-based coordinate system interprets global polarity cues in Arabidopsis
A histidine kinase gene is required for large radius root tip circumnutation and surface exploration in rice
SOL1 and SOL2 Regulate Fate Transition and Cell Divisions in the Arabidopsis Stomatal Lineage
TTL proteins scaffold brassinosteroid signaling components at the plasma membrane to optimize signal transduction in plant cells