Beyond the Phd: Postdoc in Switzerland

A Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship gave Tonni Grube Andersen the opportunity to become a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Molecular Plant Biology, University of Lausanne.

Tonni Grube Andersen did his PhD at the DNRF Center for Dynamic Molecular Interactions (DynaMo) at PLEN. His project was supervised mainly by Associate Professor Meike Burow, and was aimed at identifying molecular transport mechanisms and protein-protein interactions in the production of the defence compounds, glucosinolates, in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

- Glucosinolates are very important for the survival of plants in the wild, and since Arabidopsis is related to important crops such as rape and broccoli, understanding the molecular processes of how they defend themselves might lead to optimization of crop defences and a lowing of pesticide usage.

In one part of his project Tonni Grube Andersen characterized the role of two transport proteins for their ability to transport glucosinolates in the plant. Surprisingly, they turned out to be essential for the distribution of glucosinolates.

- In a double mutant containing non-functional versions of the two transporters, glucosinolates were distributed towards the leaves rather than roots and seeds. This result represented a new way of manipulating defence compounds in crops. Our findings led to a granted patent, and a collaboration with the seed-producing company BayerTM for development of improved crop lines that are currently in field trials.

Tonni Grube Andersen enjoyed to be a PhD student at PLEN, emphasizing the very high degree of scientific quality as well as the many social activities at PLEN.

- The environment at PLEN is really outstanding for PhD students. It is a place where your colleagues become your friends and you get a good network that can grant you the needed support during your studies. 

After his PhD Tonni Grube Andersen wanted to try something new that could complement his skills in molecular biology and advanced light microscopy.

- My current work is really different from the work I did during my PhD, in the sense that I have changed from studying defences to focus on developmental processes. My new project revolves resolving the transcriptional identity of specific cells in the "inner skin" of the root, the endodermis and how they behave under environmental stresses. To study this, we utilize some really cool next generation RNA sequencing and advanced microscopy which I believe will improve my scientific portfolio towards a job in academia in the future.