Find out about the outreach team and what they do. Overview of the Institute for Molecular Plant Sciences Video created by the outreach and communications team. Outreach Committee Members Image Dr Annis Richardson Lecturer in Molecular Crop Science Role: Chair Research: When you look at plants there is a huge diversity shape, and this shape is an important determinant of how successful the plant is in its environment. I study how leaves and other parts of grass crop plants like maize (sweetcorn) and barley grow. By understanding how genes control the development of grass crops we can try to optimise the shape of the plants to maximise their yield in different environments and using different agricultural practices. By comparing how grasses grow to plants in other families we can also understand how different shaped plants evolved. Lab website Originally From: UK Interests: Cooking, hiking, sketching, music. Dr Beatriz Orosa Chancellors Fellow Role: Art Coordinator Research: I study how plants perceive, anticipate and swiftly respond to environmental changes and pathogens through modifying their proteins in response to stimulus. In particular I am trying to understand how plant immune responses are regulated by ubiquitination (a protein modification), with the final goal of exploiting this knowledge to produce disease resistant barley. Originally From: Spain Interests: I love animals, dancing and good weather. Dr Lucas Frungillo BBSRC Discovery Fellow Role: Funding Officer Research: As sessile organisms, plants have evolved a remarkable ability to respond to environmental changes by reprogramming their entire metabolism. For example, under limiting nutrient availability in soil, plants relocate certain nutrients from older leaves to young ones. You may be able to spot that happening in your garden when old leaves at the bottom of a plant become yellowish, while the top of the very same plant seems to be thriving with new, healthy leaves. Although this ability may be essential to ensure plant survival and reproduction, it can have a negative impact on agriculture practices. My research aims to understand intricacies of metabolism so we can provide a sustainable alternative for increasing plant productivity to meet global food security needs. Originally From: Brazil Interests: I am passionate about capoeira, a wonderful cultural expression from Brazil. I may be a bit rusty now though. Christian Donohoe PhD Student Role: Video and Audio Content Coordinator Research: Investigation of Biocomposites produced from Industrial By-products for Modified Cellulose with Novel Properties Lab website Originally From: UK Interests: Podcasting (BioPOD), outdoor adventuring, songwriting. Image Phil Butlin PhD Student Role: Schools Officer Research: In my research, I study how plants sense and respond to changes in their light environment through the ‘shade avoidance response’. I am particularly interested in understanding what information plants can infer from shade signals at different times of day and year, the impact this information has on plant development, and how these processes are coordinated at the molecular level. Lab website Originally From: Wales Interests: Cooking and eating. Rist Van de Weyer PhD Student Role: Events Coordinator Research: Shade avoidance responses in Soybean Lab website Originally From: Belgium Interests: Fishing, coffee, reading Image Liat Adler PhD Student Role: Visual content coordinator Research: Improving photosynthesis using an Algal CO2-concentrating mechanism Lab website Originally From: England Interests: Pole dancing, rock climbing and crafts Nadra Tabassum PhD Student Role: General member Research: I study how plants defend themselves and how this evolved in land plants. In particular I work on the role of a specific class of compounds called Glutaredoxins in response to pathogen stress and their possible function in the plant Marchantia polymorpha to see if they are evolutionary conserved. Lab website Originally From: Bangladesh Interests: Painting, Travelling and Reading story books. Gina Pegu PhD Student Role: Digital content coordinator Research: Investigating the role of sucrose in lateral root formation. Lab website Originally From: Ghana Interests: creative writing and reading Image Yen Peng (Apple) Chew PhD Student Role: Vice-chair Research: Developing gene editing tools in green microalgae Lab website Originally From: Malaysia Interests: Hiking, dancing, crochet Image Helen Feord PhD Student Role: Blog Coordinator, Training Coordinator Research: Investigating daily cellular Mg2+ rhythms in a green alga Lab website Interests: Outdoor swimming, improv, and nature writing Originally From: France Tara Wight PhD Student Role: Schools Officer Image Dr Sandy Hetherington UKRI Future Leaders fellow Role: General member Research: It’s hard to imagine life on Earth without flowers, forests or land plants but this was the case millions of years ago. I am interested in how plants have evolved over hundreds of millions of years to give us the amazing diversity of plant life alive today. My current research aims to characterise the evolution of the food transport tissue in plants, known as the phloem, an essential trait for enabling plants to get big and evolve into trees. Lab website Originally From: UK Interests: Running, hiking, Dr Dora Lola-Luz Research Development Manager Role: General member Research: My role is to help drive the School’s capacity for research income generation and high-quality outputs and supporting the schools research leaders in identifying, developing and implementing new funding opportunities across key strategic themes reflecting the strengths of our School. My role also entails horizon scanning to identify future opportunities, develop effective networks with funding agencies and support scoping and coordination of funding proposals. Originally From: Greece Dr Aranza Diaz Ramos PostDoc Role: General member Research: Land plants evolved in an environment with high concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2). Now, the amount of CO2 in the environment has dropped while the amount of oxygen has increased. To cope with this, some plants and algae developed mechanisms that concentrate CO2 in their chloroplasts; however C3 plants, such as wheat or barley did not. My research focuses on improving photosynthesis of C3 plants by introducing the CO2 concentrating mechanism from algae in C3 plant chloroplasts which will increase their growth and yields. Lab website Originally From: Mexico Interests: Running, swimming, dancing, cooking Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences Outreach School of Biological Sciences Contact details Social media: Twitter Email: impsout@ed.ac.uk This article was published on 2024-06-17
