Plant-PATH PhD student wins Best Poster Award at international structural biology conference

Congratulations to Plant-PATH PhD student Assia Khalild, who was awarded the Best Poster Award at the Instruct Structural Biology Conference (IBSBC 2026), held in Brussels last month.

Assia, who is carrying out her PhD research in Chloé Martens' group at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), presented a poster showcasing her work on the auxin transporter PIN8. Her project uses hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) to investigate the conformational dynamics of PIN8, providing new insights into how this important plant hormone transporter functions at the molecular level.

The conference brought together researchers from across the structural biology community and featured the latest developments in a wide range of techniques and approaches. For Assia, the event offered an opportunity not only to present her own research but also to learn from experts working at the forefront of the field.

"I presented a poster on my PhD project, where I use hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) to investigate the conformational dynamics of the auxin transporter PIN8," says Assia.

"The conference was a great opportunity to learn about recent advances in structural biology, including AI-assisted approaches, cryo-EM and cryo-electron tomography, NMR, native mass spectrometry, protein design, and integrative structural biology. It was inspiring to see how rapidly the field is progressing and how structural biology continues to provide new ways of understanding complex biological systems."

The Best Poster Award recognises both the scientific quality of the research and the effectiveness of its presentation. Assia's achievement highlights the innovative research being carried out by early-career scientists across the Plant-PATH Centre of Excellence.

We warmly congratulate Assia on this well-deserved recognition.