Improving Crop Stress Tolerance via (Terpenoid) Specialized Metabolism

The research of our group focuses on specialized metabolism in plants and the many ways we can utilize those metabolites. Currently we investigate the mechanisms that govern environmental stress tolerance in different crops by integrating functional genomics, metabolomics, as well as protein biochemical and genetic approaches with a focus on terpene metabolic networks. Additional interests of ours are the interactions of plants with their environment and the advancement of regenerative farming.

Dr. Kira Tiedge is an Assistant Professor for Functional Genetics and Genomics at the Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES). After finishing her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Kira completed a PhD in molecular plant biology and plant biochemistry in Germany as a fellow of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation with longer stays in the U.S. and Austria on the topic of nectar production in tobacco plants, which sparked her fascination for the finely tuned ways in which plants can communicate with their environment. As a postdoctoral research fellow of the German Research Foundation she started working on the discovery and engineering of specialized metabolism in bioenergy plants at the University of California, Davis, with the aim to improve stress resistance in these crops. In her new role as an Assistant Professor at the University of Groningen she now combines genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, synbio, and genetic tools towards the characterization of specialized metabolite pathways that can provide crop plants with advantages for circular agriculture within a changing environment. Some of Kira’s other projects revolve around raising inclusiveness in higher education and supporting mothers in the STEM fields.

Courses:

BSc Biology:

• Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, WBBY005-05 (lecturer)
• Bachelor Research Projects Ecology & Evolution, WBBY906-10  (coordinator)
• Evolutionary and Ecological Genomics, WBBY054-05  (lecturer)

BSc Life Science & Technology:

• Genetics and Evolution, BSc Life Science and Technology, WBLT023-05 (coordinator and lecturer)