Throughout my research, I focus on plant bio-interactions and in particular, how belowground and aboveground interactions with macro- and microorganisms can influence each other. In my PhD project, I explore the potential effects of microbial volatiles on the plant growth and resistance. In this multidisciplanary research, I combine bio-assays, chemical analyses and some molecular tools to unravel the mechanisms and the ecological consequences of such volatile-mediated interactions.
Whereas soil has been treated for a long time as a black box, I believe soil is a rich substrate that works as a pool of beneficial organisms that we can exploit for agricultural purposes. Things that we cannot see, such as volatile compounds, are occurring all over and mediate a myriad of inter- and intra-kingdom interactions. Microbial volatiles are particularly promising tools that could help to improve crop yield and crop protection. Carrying such research projects will help us to enlarge our view of plant bio-interactions in ecosystems and will allow us to see more than the top of the iceberg regarding such interactions.

In my PhD project, I explore how plants respond to volatiles, i.e. odours, emitted by soil-borne fungi, and how this affect plant growth and insect-plant interactions. For this, I combine microbial ecology, entomology and chemical ecology expertises, and perform greenhouse and field experiments. Ultimately, these findings may give us insight of the ecological consequences of fungal volatiles on plant bio-interactions, and thus on plant health.

MSc degree Plant Sciences, specialisation Entomology and Plant Pathology, graduated with cum laude at Wageningen University (2015)