We are interested in understanding how plants recycle cellular components when disposing of unwanted proteins and organelles for energy production. This occurs during the development of non-photosynthetic tissues and under stress conditions in which photosynthesis is not functioning well.
We are focusing on a cellular degradation mechanism called ‘Autophagy’ and investigating it using molecular and metabolomic approaches. Our research topics include basic questions in plant physiology but also have applicative implications, such as developing plants with higher tolerance and increased yield.