Team

I started out as a developmental biologist, but over the past two decades years, my lab has come to focus more and more on questions of evolution. We investigate these both from a genomic perspective and starting from phenotypes, primarily, but not exclusively in Arabidopsis thaliana. The most recent addition is a strong investment in plant-microbe interactions, including natural microbiomes; see our PATHOCOM project! I am an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society, the German National Academy of Sciences and EMBO. I have served or am serving on many advisory and editorial boards and have co-founded three biotech start-ups.

My work focuses on challenges associated with Next Generation Sequencing. Apart from operating the instruments, I am involved in various research projects.

My work as a technician in the group focuses on molecular and plant projects aimed at identifying hybrid incompatibilities and characterizing the underlying causal genes. Starting mid of 2021, I am also involved in a PacBio sequencing project. Aside from research, I am lab safety person and have several organizational tasks that help the department run smoothly.

One area of interest for my research is understanding what shapes genome diversity and investigating how we can artificially increase genomic diversity and accelerate domestication processes. Figuring out these questions may not only be important for improving plant breeding, but it also holds promise for halting the wave of extinctions the world is experiencing and for determining strategies to mitigate it. I am convinced that transposable elements (TEs) will be a key element in addressing these challenges.

The plant epigenome is at the base of intraspecific variation and environmental adaptation. DNA methylation and histone modification patterns lead to chromatin alteration and transposable element (TE) silencing. To assess TE insertion polymorphisms, I am using PacBio HiFi reads for generating chromosome-level genome assemblies of different Arabidopsis thaliana accessions. I am integrating these genomes with epigenetic variation data from wildtypes and mutants defective for epigenetic pathways. This intersection will shed light onto chromatin and TE dynamics.

Ribosomes are responsible for protein synthesis and they are essential for cellular growth. Perhaps due to their essential role in the central dogma of molecular biology, ribosomes have generally been regarded as immutable homogeneous machines. Nevertheless, in eukaryotic genomes, multiple functional paralogous genes exist for each of the ~80 ribosomal proteins, indicating that diversification might be more widespread than thought. By analyzing long-read based A. thaliana genome assemblies, I investigate the extent of intraspecies ribosome heterogeneity and its functional implications.

Hybrid vigor, a key example of system-level emergence, already intrigued Darwin. Whether it constitutes a single phenomenon or rather a collection of syndromes, and whether hybrids are equipped to bypass classical life-history trade-offs, remain unclear. Taking a systematic approach, I study the genetic, transcriptomic, and phenotypic covariance in a large number of Arabidopsis thaliana F1 hybrids, and strive to understand how genetic variants combine in the F1s, the mode of gene expression, the associated pathways, as well as the potential cost to the apparent growth vigor.

Mutations are raw materials for evolution. Detecting mutations precisely and comprehensively is a challenge due to the repeat nature of plant genomes. Haplotype-resolved T2T assembly is the perfect foundation for variant calling. I am working on variant calling with population-scale assemblies by pangenome graphs. Adaptive complex genome rearrangements cannot be simply represented by pairwise comparisons within two individuals. How to accurately represent the multi-allele and complex nature of these variants remains an open problem. The consequence of complex rearrangements brings the birth and death of coding genes. Annotating genes with high accuracy and then combining them into a pangenome graph is the new challenge in the pangenome era.

I work on pipelines for high throughput processing of short and long read sequencing data and automated image-based phenotyping. I support department members in their research projects and am the data protection coordinator of the institute.

Genomes across the tree of life comprise variable amounts of repetitive sequences. Transposable elements (TEs) are predominant among eukaryotic repeated sequences and largely contribute to genome size variation. TEs are important in the generation of genetic diversity among populations. However, little is known about the evolution of TE sequences over long periods of time. I study the variation in TE sequences using high-quality genome assemblies to understand the mutational processes affecting TE insertions over time.

With the availability of state-of-the-art sequencing resources, I'm interested in spontaneous mutation and sequence variants in A. thaliana.

Due to local adaptation and population structure, genomes of different individuals can vary to a great extent. To represent this variation, we utilize the concept of variation graphs, which provide a powerful toolkit. I am working to combine these genome graphs with genome-wide-association (GWA) approaches to connect complex genomic variation with organism traits. Beginning with multiple whole-genome assemblies, I will first tackle the problem of graph construction, providing an accurate representation of genomic variation and the basis of the analysis.

Single reference genome can't represent all information within a species. With the decline in sequencing prices and the development of long-read sequencing technologies, we can assemble more genomes within a species to construct pangenomes. Relative to the linear reference genome, a genome graph is a more efficient way for information storage. In addition to short variants (SNPs/Indels), long variants (SVs) also play an important role in biological process. Using long reads, SVs can be accurately detected.

Exposure to bacterial pathogens and symbionts plays a major role in shaping plant genomes through the course of evolution. My research focuses on identifying genomic signatures of plant-bacterial interactions in order to discover and understand plant adaptations to biotic stress. As a bioinformatician, I address these questions by developing computational methods, which take advantage of rich sequence data, such as population-level genomics. Specifically, I employ a comparative-genomics approach, which frames the analysis of sequence information in the context of the underlying evolutionary process.

I am part of the PATHOCOM project team and involved in samples collection and sequencing efforts. Additionally I support the lab members in various projects and take care of the day-to-day lab operations.

I am fascinated by the interaction of plants with their natural environment. Plants constantly process favourable or less favourable environmental stimuli and can withstand even the harshest conditions. I want to know how plants do that together with their microbiome. In my research I use a wide array of methods to understand plant-microbe interactions ranging from field work to molecular biology, genomics, bioinformatics and plant-microbe interaction assays. In the Weigel lab I work as part of the PATHOCOM project. My role in the PATHOCOM project is to study the effect of microbe-microbe interactions in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana with ultra-high-throughput experimental testing. This experimental data will be used to model interaction patterns to understand how microbe-microbe, plant-microbe interactions and microbial community composition are shaped in nature.

My primary goal is to make sure the lab is running smoothly. Additionally, I am part of the PATHOCOM project team. PATHOCOM seeks to understand how microbial communities develop and how microbe-host and microbe-microbe interactions shape community composition and structure. Specifically, we examine the community relationships within Arabidopsis thaliana and its major bacterial leaf microbes, using a variety of field, molecular, and experimental techniques.

I am captivated by the hold universe of microorganisms living with and within a plant. There is so much we still do not know about the interactions among species in nature. One of the main challenges nowadays is bringing ecological relevance to lab work. To better understand microbe-microbe and plant-microbe interactions co-evolution within genomic diversity from natural populations. Therefore, in Weigel lab I am part of the PATHOCOM team, focusing on the characterization of microbe-microbe interactions in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana using ultra-high-throughput experimental tests. The full experimental data will help to build a model that could predict patterns in pathogen communities and how these shape microbial community composition and structure.

I come from a biomedical background, but I have developed a strong interest in the plant world and how plants interact with their environment. This passion led me to join the PATHOCOM project, which investigates how pathogenic microbes form complex communities in Arabidopsis thaliana. By integrating fieldwork, lab experiments, and high-throughput sequencing, PATHOCOM explores microbe-microbe and plant-microbe interactions to develop predictive models of pathogen dynamics. These insights are essential for sustainable disease management and harnessing beneficial microbes to improve crop protection and ecosystem health. Through this experience, I aim to bridge knowledge across disciplines and contribute to a deeper understanding of plant immunity, microbial ecology, and disease resistance.

I'm fascinated by protein evolution and how different lineages adapt ancient templates to come up with similar immunological strategies for defense against pathogens. Through investigating a structurally conserved defense protein from prokaryotes to plants I aim to determine whether immune-relatedness is conserved as well. Many plant protein families are severely understudied, I would like to study some of these using modern molecular biology methods.

After the sampling action of Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis in the wild as part of the project Pathodopsis, this oomycete caught my interest not only as a chance to do field work also on the molecular level. I am highly interested in the coevolutionary pattern between the obligate biotroph and its host. One signature of tracking this process is to concentrate on virulence factors. I am focusing on the role of pathogenic effector variants on a European-wide scale.

I research the genetic interaction of plants and their pathogens across the landscape. I have experience in genomics, bioinformatics, software engineering, and plant phenomics. I use these skills to build models that inform how genetic material has moved across the landscape historically, and how the coevolutionary balance between plants and their pathogens might change as our climate changes. In the past, I have researched the population and landscape genomics of various plants (Arabidopsis, Brachypodium, Eucalyptus, and others), and developed several novel computational methods to analyse population genomics data.

All living organisms need to defend themselves against parasites and pathogens. The rapid and ancient arms race between hosts and pathogens leads to amazing innovation of immune systems. My work is aimed to discover new immune mechanisms in plant genomes. To do so, I combine my expertise in the ancient antiviral immune systems of bacteria with the genomic resources of Weigelworld to ask how we can find new immunity in plants. I like to mix stuff and cross fields - prokaryotes and eukaryotes, wet and dry work, evolutionary conservation and evolutionary innovation.

Eukaryotic organisms harbor large communities of microorganisms forming an holobiont, considered to be a single ecological and evolutionary unit. In recent years, bacterial community dynamics and their effect on the plant holobiont have been the subject of many studies. However, little is known regarding the role that bacteriophages play in shaping those bacterial communities. In my work I intend to set the basis for understanding the role of the microvirome in plant colonization and development, by studying Arabidopsis thaliana associated bacteria and phages, in laboratory and natural settings.

My work is focused on the effector repertoire in the Pseudomonas syringae species complex, a major plant pathogen infecting a wide range of plant species, including those of high agricultural relevance. Type III Secretion System effectors (T3SEs) are injected into plant cells by the bacteria in order to manipulate host immunity and metabolism to the pathogen's benefit. The precise repertoire ofT3SEs varies dramatically across the species complex and has a complicated relationship with pathogenicity. Using whole genome sequencing and in silico analysis, I explore the effector repertoire as well as other pangenomic features in a Europe-wide collection of over 5000 phyllosphere-associated Pseudomonas isolates.

My project in Weigel lab is to employ single-cell RNA sequencing to dissect the transcriptome during plant immunity at single cell level using the well-established Arabidopsis thaliana - Pseudomonas. syringae system.

My research focuses on effector-triggered immunity (ETI) in Arabidopsis thaliana. We use single-cell sequencing to elucidate the molecular mechanisms behind the ETI response under various conditions. I am co-supervised by Marja Timmermanns, Center for Plant Molecular Biology.

I have always found the diversity of indigenous African crops fascinating, and particularly the diversity within species. Now I use genome-centred approaches to study the diversity of under-researched subsistence crops in southern Africa together with scientists based on the African continent. Working with horned melon (Cucumis metuliferus) as the model crop, I study the its genomic and phenotypic diversity, and the response to root-knot nematode infection. The insights from this research will inform the conservation and improvement of horned melon.

I’m interested in investigating mechanisms of plant adaptation and develop ways to improve plants, in particular staple crops, by using new genomic technologies, in order to address current issues like food safety and climate change. A topic that I find particularly interesting is applying gene editing systems to improve plant responses to stresses, yield and nutritional value. My project explores the regenerative potential of cassava (Manihot esculenta), a staple crop for about 800 million people globally, by using DNA-free genome editing techniques in leaf mesophyll protoplasts. Through protoplast transformation and transcriptional activation, I also study how genes involved in developmental processes, such as shoot and root formation, can be used to improve cassava’s regeneration ability.

I am fascinated by the evolutionary molecular plant-microbe interactions, shaped by factors such as environmental stimuli and genetic variation. My research focuses on understanding how plant immune receptors and pathogen effectors drive population diversity in nature and how this diversity, in turn, influences their interactions. Using the Arabidopsis-Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (Hpa) pathosystem, I integrate genomics and molecular biology to investigate the evolutionary trajectories of natural populations, considering both spatial and temporal dimensions.

Trained as a molecular geneticist, I have always been curious about molecular mechanisms, and spent many years investigating small RNAs and their impact on Arabidopsis development. A game-changer was our Pathodopsis adventure, where the bind-blowing experience of finding and studying plants ‘in the wild’ taught me that molecular biology is often like watching an elephant in a zoo – a small part of reality. Extending the ‘safari’ feeling, I am now combining ecology and genetics. Drawing from the naturally occurring variation in Arabidopsis populations, we study disease resistance to a wide-spread oomycete pathogen. Our goal is to understand the spatio-temporal dynamics of resistance and virulence, as well as the molecular (and functional) evolution of resistance loci at various spatial scales.