Research Portfolios
Crop Improvement
Cassava biotechnology research
Dr. Hervé Vanderschuren, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences
Cassava (<i>Manihot esculenta</i> Crantz) is an important starchy food crop in the tropics and subtropics. Our cassava...
Chemical Ecology
Chemical signals involved in plant-insect interactions
Prof. Dr. Ted Turlings, BeNeFri, University of Neuchâtel, Institute of Biology
Plants under attack by herbivores initiate the production and release of volatiles that are attractive to the natural...
Acclimation to Changing Environmental Conditions
Chloroplast signaling
Prof. Dr. Jean-David Rochaix, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Geneva, Department of Botany and Plant Biology
Plants and algae are constantly subjected to changes in light quality and quantity and need to adapt rapidly to maintain...
Plant Genetics and Development
Crop breeding and genomics
Dr. Zerihun Tadele, BeNeFri, University of Bern, Institute of Plant Sciences
Research in my group focuses on increasing the productivity of crops in order to contribute towards alleviating the...
Chloroplasts and Photosynthesis
Discovering how chloroplasts are made
Prof. Dr. Felix Kessler, BeNeFri, University of Neuchâtel, Institute of Biology
The chloroplast is the site of photosynthesis in plants. Most of the chloroplast proteins must be imported from the...
Environmental Sciences
Environmental sciences
Dr. Claudia Cosio, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Geneva, Institut F.-A. Forel
My research is at the interface between plant biology and ecotoxicogenomics. I explore plant’s response from genes...
Epigenetics
Epigenetic control of gene expression
Dr. Etienne Bucher, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Basel, Institute of Botany
Epigenetics encompasses a variety of highly conserved molecular mechanisms that provide an additional layer of...
Cell Biology
Establishment of membrane fences and local cell wall modifications in plants
Dr. Daniele Roppolo, BeNeFri, University of Bern, Institute of Plant Sciences
<b>Biological context</b> ...
Plant Evolutionary Genomics
Evolutionary genomics of plant adaptation and speciation
Prof. Dr. Christian Lexer, BeNeFri, University of Fribourg, Dept. of Biology
Understanding the genetics of adaptation, reproductive isolation and speciation has always been of great interest to...
Molecular Plant Physiology - Hormone Transport
Functional interactomics of auxin transport
PD Dr. Markus Geisler, BeNeFri, University of Fribourg, Dept. of Biology
Work in our group is concentrating on the individual roles of auxin catalysts – members of ABCB/PGP- and PIN families -...
Plant Developmental Genetics
Genetic and epigenetic control of plant reproduction
Prof. Dr. Ueli Grossniklaus, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Plant Biology
Our research centers on the genetic and epigenetic control of plant reproduction. We are interested in both sexual...
Plant Ecological Genomics
Genome dynamics and reproductive isolation
Dr. Christian Parisod, BeNeFri, University of Neuchâtel, Institute of Biology
Our research is mainly focused on the impact of Transposable Elements - or jumping genes - on polyploid evolution (i.e....
Evolutionary Functional Genomics / Systems Biology
How genomic changes promote adaptation and speciation in Arabidopsis relatives and in tropical trees
Prof. Dr. Kentaro Shimizu, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies
Darwin proposed the first conclusive theory to explain biodiversity with two principles: adaptation by natural...
Molecular and Cellular Plant-Virus Interactions
Macromolecular trafficking and intercellular communication in plants
Dr. Manfred Heinlein, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Basel, Institute of Botany
Intercellular communication in plants plays pivotal roles in the orchestration of development and defence responses and...
Plant Biotechnology
Model organism proteomics and protein regulation
Dr. Katja Bärenfaller, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences
Protein level and protein activity are not solely determined by their respective mRNA levels, but regulation occurs also...
Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
Molecular aspects of symbiosis and pathogenesis in plants
Prof. Dr. Thomas Boller, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Basel, Institute of Botany
Plants interact with microbes (bacteria and fungi), in both friendly and hostile ways – this is the essence of plant...
Plant Photoreceptor-Mediated Signal Transduction
Molecular mechanisms of light-regulated growth and development in plants
Prof. Dr. Christian Fankhauser, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Lausanne, Center for Intergrative Genomics
Both genetic and environmental factors influence growth and development of any living organism. Plant development is...
Molecular Studies of Plant-Insect Interactions
Plant defenses against insects
Dr. Philippe Reymond, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Lausanne, Department of Plant Molecular Biology
Plants attacked by insects develop an array of inducible defenses aimed at slowing the growth or development of the...
Functional Genomics
Plant genetic networks – from databases to computational modeling
Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Gruissem, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences
Using a systems biology approach, we are modeling biochemical pathways and regulatory processes that affect plant...
Plant Molecular Biology-Metabolic Pathways
Plant metabolic pathways and phosphate homeostasis
Prof. Dr. Yves Poirier, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Lausanne, Department of Plant Molecular Biology
There are presently three main axes of research within our laboratory. ...
Plant Molecular Biology
Plant molecular biology
Prof. Dr. Edward Farmer, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Lausanne, Department of Plant Molecular Biology
We work on the jasmonate pathway which controls plant immunity to herbivores. Jasmonates are lipid-derived molecules...
Plant Biochemistry
Plant primary metabolism - From basic research to crop productivity
Prof. Dr. Samuel Zeeman, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences
The domestication of crops was a landmark in the development of human civilisation. Today, most of our food and many of...
Evolutionary Genomics
Polyploidization and stress response in plants
Dr. Rie Shimizu-Inatsugi, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies
Polyploidization is a frequently observed phenomenon in plant species. It has played an important role as a driving...
Plant Pathology
Population genetics and evolutionary biology of plant pathogenic fungi
Prof. Dr. Bruce McDonald, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Integrative Biology
Plant pathogens evolve rapidly to overcome the disease control strategies that are deployed against them. Resistance...
Plant Molecular Biology
The cereal genomes: hidden treasures for evolutionary genomics and agronomy
Prof. Dr. Beat Keller, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Plant Biology
We are studying the genomes of the grass species wheat, barley and rice to analyze genome evolution in cereals. Plant...
Plant Molecular Physiology and Biochemistry
The role of carbon metabolism in drought stress tolerance
Dr. Diana Santelia, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Plant Biology
Our lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of carbon partitioning (between starch and sugars) at...
Plant Ecological Genetics
Understanding the genetic basis of ecological and evolutionary processes
Prof. Dr. Alex Widmer, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Integrative Biology
Our work aims at understanding the genetic basis of ecological and evolutionary processes. To achieve this goal, we...
Plant Biochemistry and Physiology
Vitamin metabolism and its relations to environmental stress
Prof. Dr. Teresa Fitzpatrick, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Geneva, Department of Botany and Plant Biology