I had the great fortune living and studying in Germany, Australia, the UK and Saudi Arabia. These experiences made me realize how much agriculture is constrained by abiotic stresses such as salinity, drought and heat and how some plants are able to cope better with these stresses than others. This has awoken in me a desire to understand how some plants are able to grow in marginal environments and to find ways to make less tolerant plants grow better and maintain yield despite the presence of abiotic stresses.
During both my PhD and postdoctoral work, I focused on salinity stress and salinity tolerance. I have been involved in many different projects, from characterization of transport proteins, mechanisms of signaling, genetics and genomics to field work, working with model organisms and crops. In my new role as Junior Professor I can now integrate this diverse experience and use my skills to lead a group in the field of plant physiology and yield stability. Here, my team can focus on stresses that are becoming more relevant for Germany because of climate change, such as water deficit and heat. I also hope to help raise the new generation of excellent and curious scientists at the University of Hohenheim.
