Ruy Kortbeek , former PhD candidate at the Plant Physiology department of the UvA, receives the Rubicon. He defended his thesis in October 2022 and started recently his postdoc at the Biochemistry department of Purdue, in the lab of prof. Natalia Dudareva. With the rubicon he will will be working on the regulation of precursor availability during terpene biosynthesis in plants.
More information about his topic:
Defense compounds for crop protection
In nature, plants produce compounds that help them protect themselves against pest insects, fungi and harmful bacteria. The researcher is investigating how plants regulate the production of these compounds. The results of this research offer possibilities for growing food crops that are less dependent on synthetic pesticides [NWO].