Funded projects & hosted fellowships
Projects with third-party funding
What is the molecular basis of fast genomic change - and how can we use this? We explore these questions in four research pillars, targeting DNA (🧬), DNA methylation (📍) and chromosomes (🧶), as well as their application in breeding (🌱):
🧬(pillar I): repetitive DNAs as agents of fast genomic change;
📍(pillar II): the epigenetic basis of clonal change, heritability and adaptivity; and
🧶(pillar III): the evolutionary trajectory of chromosomes and genomes.
🌱(pillar IV): applications in (epi)marker development and genotype selection for breeding of resilient crops and trees
Hence, the genome takes the central stage in our research, and we explore it in a range of projects in different plants. The fit to the research pillars is indicated by emoji use (🧬|📍|🧶|🌱).
Running projects
LarchForFlexibility (2023-2026)
Our project LarchForFlexibility aims to secure the supply of larch propagation material with high quality and diversity to increase silvicultural flexibility.
Funding Agency: FNR (on behalf of BMEL)
Research Pillars: 🧬🌱
Partners: Humboldt Uni Berlin, TU Dresden Forest Botany, Staatsbetrieb Sachsenforst, Baumschulen Oberdorla
EpicBeet (2022-2025)
EpicBeet explores the stability and heritability of DNA methylation patterns in sugar beet. It will deduce the impact on phenotypic plasticity, influence on TE activity and potential for beet breeding.
Funding Agency: BMBF
Research Pillars: 🧬📍🌱
Partners: Uni Bielefeld & KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA
Genomics of hortensia collections (2022-2023)
In this project, we explore the genetic basis of hortensia diversity in Japanese and German collections.
Funding Agencies: DAAD/JSPS
Research Pillars: 🧬🧶
Partners: Kobe University, Japan
Saffron (epi)genomes (2020-2024)
The saffron project explores the clonal saffron as a model for epigenetics of quality traits and environmental adaptation.
Funding Agency: DFG
Research Pillars: 🧬📍🧶
Partners: HHU Düsseldorf & IPK Gatersleben
Completed projects
SINEs4Conifers (finished)
The SINEs4Conifers project aimed to genotype spruces and to secure the supply of spruce propagation material.
(I took over the project administration in the 2nd half of the project.)
Funding Agency: FNR (on behalf of BMEL)
Research Pillars: 🧬🌱
Partners: TU Dresden Forest Botany, Staatsbetrieb Sachsenforst
MASEPA (finished)
In MASEPA, we used repeat-based markers to select potato genotypes with resistances against Globodera pallida.
(I took over the project administration near the end of the project.)
Funding Agency: BMBF
Research Pillars: 🧬🌱
Partners: NORIKA GmbH
Hosted fellowships
"Mango" (2021-2023)
Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Nusrat Sultana (Dhaka) visited us to explore the chromosomal diversity of mangos from Bangladesh.
Funding Agency: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Research Pillars: 🧬🧶
"Kenaf" (2023)
MSc Nii-Ayi Ankrah (KNUST, Ghana) visited us to explore the chromosomal diversity of kenaf breeding lines from Ghana.
Funding Agency: BAYER Foundation
Research Pillars: 🧬🧶
Exploring rDNA-TE associations (since 2023)
Dr. Sònia Garcia (Institut Botànic de Barcelona, CSIC) visited us several times to explore the associations of rDNA and TEs, both, in general and in the Asteraceae.
Funding Agencies: EMBO, Dresden Fellowship
Research Pillars: 🧬🧶
Main funding agencies
