Research Portfolios
Plant Evolution and Systematics
An integrative phylogenetic approach to elucidate the evolution of plant diversity
Prof. Dr. Elena Conti, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Systematic Botany
The fundamental goal of my research is to understand the evolution of plant diversity. To achieve this goal, I integrate...
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...
Plant Biotechnology
Cereal biotechnology research for crop improvement
Dr. Navreet K. Bhullar, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences
Cereals, such as rice and wheat, are important source of food worldwide but they contain very low levels of bioavailable...
Molecular Genetics of Plant Development
Chromatin and transcriptome dynamics during sexual plant reproduction
Dr. Célia Baroux, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Plant Biology
Sexual reproduction in flowering plants involves several cell fate transitions: (i) vegetative-to-reproductive...
Plant Developmental Genetics
Cytokinin's role in embryonic root stem-cell formation
Dr. Bruno Müller, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Plant Biology
Despite the essential role of plants to support animal life on earth, our understanding of plant developmental processes...
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...
Forage Crop Genetics
Forage Crop Genetics
Prof. Dr. Bruno Studer, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences
The implemented Forage Crop Genetics group mainly aims at developing genetic and genomic tools that can assist plant...
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 Evolutionary Genetics
Genome-wide patterns of nucleotide diversity and divergence in wild tomatoes (Solanum section Lycopersicon)
Dr. Thomas Städler, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Integrative Biology
Under a genealogical (coalescent) perspective, DNA sequence data obtained from many unlinked genes contain footprints of...
Plant Ecological Genetics
Grass endophytes
Prof. Dr. Adrian Leuchtmann, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Integrative Biology
Symbiotic associations between organisms are common in ecosystems, but mutual benefits may be conditional depending on...
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...
MicroRNAs and siRNAs in Plant Development
Molecular analysis of plant small RNAs regulations
Dr. Franck Vazquez, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Basel, Institute of Botany
RNA silencing processes are recently discovered RNA dependent processes involved in controlling the expression and...
Plant Population Biology
Plant adaptation and genetic connectivity in the face of climate change
Dr. Andrea R. Pluess, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute for Terrestrial Ecosystems
Plants are expected to react to climate change with adaptation, phenotypic plasticity, migration or extinction. Given...
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 Pathology
Plant pathology
Prof. Dr. Cesare Gessler, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Integrative Biology
Cesare Gessler has been active in plant pathology at ETH for 35 years. During 2003-2008 he also led a research centre in...
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