Research Area 3
Synthetic and Reconstruction Biology
Engineering Developmental and Inheritance Rules in Plants
To design smarter, more adaptable plants, we need to understand how genes give rise to complex traits—especially in changing environments. Research Area 3 bridges the gap between the genome and real-world plant performance by building a quantitative, mechanistic understanding of how traits develop and evolve—from molecules inside cells to entire plant-microbe systems (the holobiont).
This includes uncovering how complex traits are passed on through meiosis and inheritance - key processes that drive evolution and adaptation.
The ultimate goal? To predict how whole plant systems (including their microbes) will perform and to design SMART plants from scratch - with new combinations of traits and improved resilience.
Coordinators
Prof. Dr. Matias Zurbriggen
Telephone+49 211 8115015
Institute of Synthetic Biology
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
Prof. Dr. Markus Pauly
Telephone+49 211 8115680
Institute for Plant Cell Biology and Biotechnology
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
Members
Prof. Dr. Ute Armbruster
Principal Investigator, Research Area 1, 3
Prof. Dr. Ilka Axmann
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 3,4
Linus Börnke
Doctoral Researcher, Research Area 1,3
Dr. Cristina Marí Carmona
CEPLAS Researcher, Research Area 3
Prof. Dr. George Coupland
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 1,3,4
Dr. John C. D'Auria
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 1,3
Dr. Craig Dent
CEPLAS Researcher, Research Area 3, 4
Prof. Dr. Gunther Döhlemann
Principal Investigator, Research Area 2,3
Dr. Steven Dreissig
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 1,3
Prof. Dr. Oliver Ebenhöh
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 1,2,3,4,5
Prof. Dr. Michael Feldbrügge
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 3
Dr. Pau Formosa-Jordan
Contributing Investigator, Research area 1, 3, 4, 5
Prof. Dr. Wolf B. Frommer
Dr. Rubén Garrido Oter
Principal Investigator, Research Area 2,3,4,5
Josepha Grewer
Doctoral Researcher, Research Area 3
Dr. Thomas Hartwig
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 1,3,4,5
Dr. Götz Hensel
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 1, 2, 3, 5
Dr. Alexander P. Hertle
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 1,3
Prof. Dr. Tatjana Hildebrandt
Principal Investigator, Research Area 1,2,3,5
Prof. Dr. Andreas Houben
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 3
Dr. Tobias Jores
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 3,5
Prof. Dr. Stanislav Kopriva
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 1,2,3,4,5
Stanislav Kopriva
Doctoral Researcher, Research Area 2,3
Dr. Steven Le Hung Cheng
CEPLAS Researcher, Research Area 2,3
Prof. Dr. Martin Lercher
Dr. Inna Lermontova
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 3, 5
Dr. Eliza Loo
Group leader, Research Area 2,3
Dr. André Marques
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 3
Dr. Shizue Matsubara
Principal Investigator, Research Area 1,3,5
Benjamin Menn
Doctoral Researcher, Research Area 3
Dr. Hanna Mozghovska
CEPLAS Researcher, Research Area 3,4,5
Prof. Dr. Jane E. Parker
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 2,3
Prof. Dr. Markus Pauly
Dominic Schirmer
Doctoral Researcher, Research Area 3
Prof. Dr. Paul Schulze-Lefert
Principal Investigator, Research Area 2,3,4
Amanta Seifried
Doctoral Researcher, Research Area 1, 3
Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Simon
Principal Investigator, Research Area 1,3,4,5
Dr. Jędrzej Jakub Szymański
Contributing Investigator, Research Area 1, 3, 4, 5
Dr. Sebastian Triesch
CEPLAS Researcher, Research Area 3, 4
Prof. Dr. Miltos Tsiantis
Principal Investigator, Research Area 1,3,4
Nicolas Ullrich
Doctoral Researcher, Research Area 3, 4
Dr. Uriel Urquiza
Group Leader, Research Area 3, 4, 5
Prof. Dr. Nicolaus von Wirén
Principal Investigator, Research Area 1,2,3,4,5
Dr. Agatha Alexandra Walla
Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Area 1, 3, 5
Prof. Dr. Andreas P.M. Weber
Principal Investigator, Research Area 1,3,4,5
Prof. Dr. Alga Zuccaro
Principal Investigator, Research Area 2,3,4,5
Prof. Dr. Matias Zurbriggen
Principal Investigator, Research Area 1,2,3,4,5