Juliane

WUR Starter Grant for de Keijzer en Romanwski Jeroen de Keijzer and Andres Romanwski have obtained a WUR starter Grant to develop the project: Environmental modulation of protein mobility in land plants. Short summary: Much like commuters between cities, proteins can move from one cell to another. One way in which intercellular ‘commuting’ is achieved is through cytoplasmic bridges called plasmodesmata (PD). PD span cell walls, effectively creating a link between the cytoplasm of two adjacent cells. How this dynamic process is affected by environmental factors is still largely unexplored. In this joint project between the Romanowski and the De Keijzer groups, we want [...]

NWO VENI grant for Kira Tiedge Designing crops for a salty future Dr. K.J. Tiedge (V), University of Groningen Around the globe, agricultural areas are endangered by an increase of salts in the soil. This salinization reduces the yield and nutritional quality of crops grown in these areas, which poses a serious threat to our food supply. This project investigates how metabolic substances in plants can be used to increase the resistance of important crops to salinization. The results will help to develop new crop varieties that can withstand current and future climate-driven stressors to enable sustainable crop production and [...]

As of 1 September, research associate Bregje Wertheim has been appointed Professor holding a Chair of the Laboratory of Entomology at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). She will be the successor of Professor Marcel Dicke, who is retiring at the end of 2024. Wertheim studied biology at Leiden University, where she became fascinated by the many traits and strategies that insects have developed to survive. Wertheim will further develop insect research and education in Wageningen. And she can’t wait: “I look forward to working with the various academics at WUR. WUR has very good researchers and lecturers, with wide-ranging areas [...]

EMBO members are elected for the significant contributions the made in their research areas. The membership is regarded as an honor and, like the Nobel Prizes, researchers can only be nominated by their peers. Geurts’ election as an EMBO member recognises his research on symbiosis between bacteria and plants, in which bacteria extract nitrogen from the air and deliver it to plants [More information]. Pieterse’s research focuses on how plants defend themselves against harmful microbes and insects. His team maps out the plant's defense system at a molecular level. This knowledge can help scientists develop stronger crops that need fewer [...]