Main Focus
I study the role of the allelopathic alkaloid gramine in barley-aphid interactions. Gramine is known to reduce the performance of some herbivorous insects and pathogens; however, the concentrations required for toxicity and the mechanisms that allow certain aphid species to tolerate it remain unclear. My project compares the responses of generalist and specialist aphids feeding on barley cultivars with different gramine levels to determine how gramine influences aphid growth, survival, and host adaptation.
Curriculum Vitae
Postdoctoral researcher, 2025-2026
Department of Molecular Genetics, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (Gatersleben, Germany).
PhD in Ecology, 2022- 2025
Department of Molecular Genetics, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (Gatersleben, Germany).
MSc in Biology (Chemical Ecology and Sustainable Agriculture), 2019- 2021
University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland)
BSc in Biology and Geology, 2015- 2019
University of Fribourg (Switzerland)
Awards
2025: Preis für die beste pflanzenwissenschaftliche Veröffentlichung der Wilhem Pfeffer-Stiftung (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft): Leite Dias S, Chuang L, Liu S, Seligmann, B., Brendel, F. L., Gabriel Chavez, B., Hoffie, R. E., Hoffie, I., Kumlehn, J., Bültemeier, A., Wolf, J., Herde, M., Witte, C. P., D’Auria, J. C., Franke, J. (2024): Biosynthesis of the allelopathic alkaloid gramine in barley by a cryptic oxidative rearrangement. Science 383, 1448-1454. DOI: 10.1126/science.adk6112