Stig U. Andersen
Professor & N2CROP director
Dept. of Molecular Biology & Genetics - Plant Molecular Biology
sua@mbg.au.dk
My research is focused on legume genetics, genomics and bioinformatics.
Read some of Stig's research...
Jayakodi et al. 2023, Nature 615: 652–659 (Open access)
Kasper Røjkjær Andersen
Professor
kra@mbg.au.dk
Kasper Andersen leads a research group at Aarhus University studying how legumes form symbiosis with nitrogen fixing bacteria. His lab uses structural biology and protein engineering to understand how nitrogen fixation is regulated. This work will help the overall goal of improving legumes for a more sustainable agricultural production.
Caroline Baadegaard
PhD student
caba@mbg.au.dk
In N2CROP I am part of the group working on nitrogen fixation in faba bean. With a structural biology approach, I work on designing transcription factor variants increase nitrogen fixation in high nitrate soil conditions.
Kristian Barrett
Postdoc
kbaka@dtu.dk
In charge of functional prediction of enzymes active on carbohydrate synthesis and proteases responsible for seed storage protein mobilization during seed germination. The research is in tight collaboration with WP1 Genetics and WP6 Protein digestibility.
See more here...
Conserved Unique Peptide Patterns (CUPP)
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Fede Berckx
Postdoc
fede.berckx@slu.se
Fede is a postdoctoral researcher in the Weih lab at SLU. She is interested in plant-microbe interactions and changes in microbial communities through time and space. In the N2CROP project, she will be involved in investigating the microbial interactions taking place in soil and root systems.
Tim Cameron
Postdoc
tim.cameron@latrobe.edu.au
I am currently working as a post-doctoral researcher in the Reid Laboratory at La Trobe University in Australia. My current role for N2CROP involves using molecular biology and NGS techniques to examine the role of transcription factors and their regulatory targets involved in regulating the nodule senescence process in legume crop species, with a particular focus on faba bean, and whether we can manipulate these genes to increase N fixation ability to increase N availability for other crop species such as wheat in intercropping trials.
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Brian Søndergaard Christensen
Laboratory Manager
bc@mbg.au.dk
I take part in measurement of antinutritional factors such as tannins, phytic acid and trypsin inhibitors in faba beans. I also participate in the analysis of nutritionally bioavailable amino acids released from faba bean seeds during gastrointestinal digestion using the optimized INFOGEST protocol. The digestates will also be analyzed for antioxidative, antihypertensive, and antidiabetic activities and effects on intestinal barrier integrity.
Jonathan Cope
Researcher
jonathan.cope@slu.se
Jonathan is a Researcher in the Weih lab at SLU, with a focus on root system architecture and how it relates to yield, nutrient accumulation, abiotic tolerance, and microbial community. In N2CROP he will be involved in the collection of root samples from the field experiments and the phenotyping of the root system architecture.
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Dorte Bodin Dresbøll
Associate Professor
dbdr@plen.ku.dk
Together with SLU I am responsible for field experiments in N2CROP with special emphasis on the effects of intercropping faba bean with cereals. Specific research focus will be on the root development, nitrogen dynamics and competition and/or complementarity in resource use.
Read more about Dorte's research...
Belowground crop ecology at the University of Copenhagen
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Taylor FitzGerald
Project administrator
tgf@mbg.au.dk
Taylor is a project administrator for the plant molecular biology section at the Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University. At N2CROP, she is responsible for organizing meetings, updating the website, general communication to members, and assisting with project reporting.
Simone Gierlich
PhD student
sgi@mbg.au.dk
In the N2CROP project, I am part of the Genetics & Informatics team that aims to identify and alter genetic regulators that influence the protein/carbohydrate balance in faba bean. The ultimate goal is to deliver seeds with a higher content of bioavailable protein. My specific role is to identify protein candidate genes that are likely to be involved in the pathways regulating the seed storage protein content and to set up a genetic transformation method in faba bean to alter those.
Read some of Simone's research...
Gong et al. 2024. Cell Reports 43: 113768.
Jesper Holck
Senior Researcher
jesho@dtu.dk
In charge of carbohydrate plant cell wall analytics. The research will focus on developing high-throughput methods for composition- and linkage analysis of the NORFAB panel, as well as Alpha-galactosides with (anti)-nutritional properties. The research is in tight collaboration with WP6 Protein digestibility.
Read more about Jesper's research group...
DTU Carbohydrate Analytics Core
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Thilani Jayakody
Postdoc
thilani.jayakody@mbg.au.dk
As we continue to uncover genes involved in improving protein content and reducing nitrogen input it will become necessary to validate their roles using classic reverse genetic approaches. Currently there is no reliable plant transformation method available for faba bean, limiting our understanding of what connects these candidate genes to their functions. My main role in N2Crop is to try to overcome this boundary by developing methods for plant transformation and gene editing in faba bean.
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Mengyu Lei
PhD student
m.lei@mbg.au.dk
In N2CROP, I will focus on integration of transcriptomic and genomic data to identify potential regulatory mechanisms in faba beans.
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Jieshun Lin
Assistant Professor
jslin@mbg.au.dk
I will evaluate the nitrogen fixation efficiency of different faba bean genotypes under intercropping environments.
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Marcela Mendoza Suárez
Assistant Professor
marcela@mbg.au.dk
Marcela is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Aarhus University. Her research is primarily focused on the identification of efficient natural nitrogen-fixing bacteria for potential use as biofertilisers. In the N2CROP project, she will be applying her expertise to develop specific rhizobial biofertilisers for use during the field trials of the project.
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Troels Wisen Mouritzen
PhD student
twm@mbg.au.dk
Within the N2CROP project, I am responsible for developing and managing a database that not only serves the project's needs but also aligns with the BELIS project's objectives. My focus is on ensuring the database adheres to a well-defined schema that allows eventual crop ontology annotation and Breeding API compatibility, streamlining data integration and accessibility. Alongside this, I apply my expertise in quantitative genetics and GWAS to contribute to the genetic research aspects of the project.
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Marcin Nadzieja
Assistant Professor
marcinjn@mbg.au.dk
Marcin is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University. His research focuses on faba bean genomics, as well as the identification of soil bacteria for use as biofertilizers.
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Dugald Reid
Lecturer
Dugald.Reid@latrobe.edu.au
Dugald’s research focuses on regulation of nodule function and nitrogen fixation. Within the N2CROP project he is aiming to understand the impact on intercropping performance of increased nitrogen fixation by legume crops, particularly as soil nitrate levels increase.
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Martin Weih
Professor
martin.weih@slu.se
Martin Weih is a professor of plant ecology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Main research focus of his lab is on plant genotype and environment interplay in crop production. Within the project, he is responsible for the planning, implementing and evaluating a series of field trials where various cultivars and mutagenic lines of field bean with altered properties are intercropped with wheat and oats.
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