Research interests

• Plant-Microbe-Environment Interactions
• Ecophysiology
• Agroecology

Project       

Increasing food production in semiarid agricultural zones imposes a challenge due to rising drought events. In developing countries, intercropping is a common practice to improve yields and tackle water scarcity. A remarkable aspect of intercropping systems is bioirrigation. Deep-rooted plants lift water from bottom soil layers which can then be utilized by shallow-rooted plants. The effective transfer of lifted water between deep and shallow roots plants could be enhanced through mycorrhizal associations. The aim of my project is to study the bioirrigation potential of common mycorrhizal networks in intercropping systems.

Education

2019- ongoing PhD student, Physiological Plant Ecology Group, University of Basel
2017-2018 Trainee, Plant-Microbe Interactions Group, Utrecht University
2016-2018 MSc in Microbial Ecology, “Cracking the roots, the role of the endodermis in biotic interactions “, University of Vienna
2015-2017 Research assistant, Gregor Mendel institute, Vienna
2012-2016 BSc in Biology, University of Vienna