I am an international Ph.D. student at UC Davis in the Department of Plant Sciences, working with Dr. Gail Taylor, Dr. Troy Magney and Dr. Tom Buckley. My research focuses on the genetic and physiological basis of drought tolerance in the tree Black Cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa). I am in the 2nd year of my Ph.D. in the Horticulture and Agronomy Graduate group, which is a fantastic program and community for agricultural studies and plant breeding.
I was born in Cologne, the fourth largest city in Germany. Growing in an urban center, far removed from agriculture, I never expected to find myself on a path of becoming an agricultural plant scientist. I found my passion during travels across the Oaxaca and Yucatan regions in Mexico, which are characterized by the production of crops I had never seen in a field before, like cassava, sugar cane and coffee. I decided to pursue a career in agricultural research, earning an undergraduate degree in crop science at the University of Bonn, Germany. I conducted research in Benin, Africa, studying the impact of rainfed rice in natural wetlands on soil carbon storage. Then as a Master’s student, I worked at the Research Center in Juelich and in the Philippines at the International Rice Research Institute to investigate drought stress recovery in rice. Throughout these experiences, I saw what is at stake for vulnerable communities threatened by climate change. The interactions with scientists from all over the world shaped my appreciation for integrative and collaborative science—I have learned that personal growth is accelerated when surrounded by people with diverse perspectives. After completing my Master's, I spent a year as a research assistant working at the Max-Planck-Institute for Developmental Biology, studying plant pathogen interactions and the role of mutation in plants.
I knew I wanted to pursue a Ph.D., and UC Davis is a world leader in plant breeding and agricultural research. I am thrilled to be part of the excellent community of scientists here studying plants from many perspectives.
My dissertation research aims to discover genes that could be used for breeding drought tolerant bioenergy trees. Black Cottonwood is an extremely fast-growing tree. But its use as a biofuel crop requires breeding genotypes that can maintain production in marginal environments, where they won't compete with food crops. I am studying an experiment of over 7000 trees, representing around 1000 unique natural genotypes that were collected across climate gradients in North America. They are growing next to UC Davis in a fifteen-acre field site under drought or well-watered conditions. The climate of Davis is perfect for studying drought tolerance in general, but especially trees. Our long dry summers allow us to conduct drought experiments like this, controlling the water available and testing for genotypes that perform well even under the harsh conditions. I will perform genome-wide association analyses to detect genes that are responsible for increased drought tolerance. We are hoping to uncover genes that will provide targets for accelerated breeding. Come visit someday—you might find me walking the rows of trees measuring traits or downloading data from our vertical phenotyping platform!
My long-term goals are to continue working in plant science, either as a researcher in an academic or professional environment. I am passionate about combining genetics, physiology and ecology to develop crops that are better adapted to challenges of changing climates.
If I were to give advice to news students, it would be to seek out diverse views to gain a broad understanding and appreciation for your scientific questions. You never know what new insight will come from talking with someone with a different perspective/background.
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