Prof. Dr. Marcel Bucher
Head of the Group
Originally from Switzerland, Marcel Bucher is interested in understanding how plants adapt to nutrient limitation, particularly within the complex interactions between plants, microbiota, and soil in the rhizosphere. He is passionate about mentoring and enjoys seeing students, early career researchers, and colleagues take on more responsibility, refine their projects, develop their skills, and progress professionally.
His academic contributions range from undergraduate lectures on plant anatomy and physiology to more specialized courses in plant molecular biology and genetics. Marcel was an integral member of both the Executive and Steering Committees during the initial phase of the Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, CEPLAS. Within CEPLAS and the Third Mission of the UoC, he is currently leading the outreach program "Research and Education: Transfer of Knowledge from Research to School" and the “Plant-Ukraine” project.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-2481
Madeleine Emily Day
Postgraduate Researcher
Madeleine Emily Day comes from the United Kingdom and is interested in plant cell signaling and transcriptional mechanisms underlying the development of arbuscular mycorrhizal associations.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-8223
M.Sc. Ana Carolina de Moraes
Research assistant
Ana Carolina de Moraes comes from Brazil and is currently working on the interdisciplinary project "Plant-Ukraine", which combines technology with education and research and emerged from the InnoBioDiv project.
Tel.: +49 (0)1520 766-8939
Jan Gaertner
Postgraduate Researcher
Jan Gaertner from the Netherlands is studying the genetic interaction between Arabidopsis thaliana and its root endosymbiont Colletotrichum tofieldiae in order to deepen our understanding of the mutualistic root symbiosis and make the system more genetically accessible.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-8222
Elena Gallina
Postgraduate Researcher
Elena Gallina comes from Italy and is interested in the interactions between the plant-host genotype and microbial community dynamics in the maize mycorrhizosphere.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-8222
Dr. Orarat Ginsawaeng
Postdoctoral Researcher
Orarat Ginsawaeng comes from Thailand and is interested in the transcriptional regulation of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in Lotus japonicus.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-8222
Dr. Rainer E. Häusler
Senior Scientist
Rainer Häusler is from Germany and his current interest is focused on mutants and transgenic plants with a lesion in or altered activities of plastidial metabolite transporters.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-2340
Ulrike Hebbeker
Technical Assistant
Ulrike Hebbeker is from Germany. She has profound expertise in the extraction of secondary metabolites and nucleic acids, DNA cloning, and plant production.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-7326
Stefanie Junkermann
Technical Assistant
Stefanie Junkermann is from Germany and is working on aspects of plant-fungus interactions. She is a specialist in multi-elemental analytics performed with the ICP-MS that is located in the Biocenter Mass Spectrometry Platform.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-8224
Hang Lu
Postgraduate Researcher
Hang Lu comes from China and is interested in the molecular architecture underlying the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis and its potential towards the reconstruction of mutualistic symbioses.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-8222
Isabelle Metzen
Postgraduate Researcher
Isabelle Metzen is from Germany and is interested in the nutritional and metabolic interactions between mycorrhizal roots and their microbiota and their impact on soil quality. She is also the scientific coordinator of the "Plant-Ukraine" project founded by STiL.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-8223
Claudia Schwanitz
Head of administration
Claudia Schwanitz comes from Germany and takes the lead in working at the interface between the university administration and our research group for financial and personnel matters.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-5664
Leia Mijatovic
Technical Assistant
Leia Mijatovic is from Germany and supports projects dealing with aspects of plant-fungi interaction. She usually works with Lotus japonicus and has in-depth knowledge of seed curation and genotyping.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-7326
Dr. Esperanza Abril Sosa-López
Postdoctoral Researcher
Esperanza Abril Sosa-López is from Mexico and works on the genetic host factors, particularly signaling mechanisms, that underlie symbiotic interactions between plants and fungi.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-8224
Dr. Mitzi Villajuana Bonequi
Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Mitzi Villajuana Bonequi is from Mexico and coordinates the CEPLAS Research & Education project at the University of Cologne. Her scientific expertise is in molecular biology, genetics, developmental biology, and reproductive development.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-7326
Dr. Olha Zadorozhna
Research Associate
Olha Zadorozhna is from Ukraine and is currently working on signalling mechanisms in arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in the model legume Lotus japonicus.
Tel.: +49 (0)221 470-8223