Our research focuses on developing strategies to improve crop resilience to both biotic and abiotic stresses.
Our research focuses on developing strategies to improve crop resilience to both biotic and abiotic stresses. To this end, we investigate plant metabolism with a particular focus on polyamine metabolism and metabolite-mediated signaling, as well as the interactions between plants and rhizospheric microorganisms that enhance crop performance and stress tolerance.
Our work spans from fundamental research aimed at deciphering the molecular functions of polyamines and their signaling pathways, to applied approaches focused on the development of stress-resilient crop varieties and microbe-based biostimulants and biocontrol agents.
Through this integrated view, we aim to deliver sustainable solutions that strengthen crop productivity and resilience, bridging fundamental research with real-world applications in the agri-food industry.
I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Barcelona (UB) in 1999 and a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the same institution in 2004. Following my doctoral studies, I carried out postdoctoral research at the University of Barcelona (2004–2005) and later as a senior postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (Cologne, Germany), in a research line which involved the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics and the Department of Plant-Microbe Interactions (2006–2012).
In 2012, I joined the University of Barcelona as a Ramón y Cajal researcher (2012–2017) where I established my independent research group, and I was awarded a Marie Curie Career Integration Grant as start-up suport (2012–2016). Since, I have been PI of several fundamental and transfer of Technology projects and co-inventor of a patent for a plant biostimulant protecting crops against stress. Since 2017, I am Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona. I have served as board of the Spanish Society of Plant Biology (SEBP). During my research, I have specialized in the areas of plant molecular biology and genomics, metabolomics, quantitative genetics, genetics of natural variation, plant–microorganism interactions, and mechanisms of tolerance to abiotic stresses (cold/freezing, salinity, and drought) in plants.
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Rubén Alcázar Hernández
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Kostadin Evgeniev Atanasov
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Milena Andrea Zumsteg