Current research focus

I’m a plant pathologist driven by the fascinating world of microbial friends and foes and how they shape plant health. My current work centers on uncovering strategies to help plants thrive and protect them against important plant pathogens affecting minor crops. It is with specific interest to reduce pesticides and finding alternatives like biopesticides e.g. microbials and naturally derived compounds.

Please feel free to contact me concerning MSc thesis projects and internships

Key research topics

Identification and characterization of novel beneficial microbes, plant pathogenic fungi and oomycetes using molecular and morphological diagnostic tools. Understanding population genetics, biology and phenotyping of microbial pathogens causing diseases and their interactions with different crops (e.g. strawberry, citrus, spinach, onions, quinoa plants and others) are important topics of my research.

Previous research topics and on-going collaborations are on beneficial microbes that boost plant health or help plants against abiotic (e.g. drought and salinity) and biotic stresses (plant diseases). To better explain and understand these interactions at various levels is by the identifications of plant and microbe bio-signatures via molecular, biochemical, physiological methods but also by multispectral and RGB imaging techniques.