GRK 2172:  PRoTECT - Plant Responses To Eliminate Critical Threats

• Subject Area: Plant Sciences
• Term: since 2016
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 273134146

The key goal of the graduate program “Plant Responses To Eliminate Critical Threats (PRoTECT)” is to train highly motivated doctoral researchers in an international research environment that is featured by interdisciplinary and collaborative research. The proposed PhD projects will focus on plant defense mechanisms against different pathogens and pests as well drought and heat. The program thus addresses a research topic that is of central importance for the productivity of our crop plants even in view of global climate change. The program has therefore been defined as an area of high priority in the Universities of Goettingen and British Columbia (UGOE and UBC) strategic plans. A specific scientific focus of the consortium is to elucidate defense mechanisms that are operational in different cellular and extracellular compartments and at different spatial scales, including the cuticle, the cell wall, the cytosol, the plastids, the mitochondria, and the nucleus as well as the phloem and xylem that connect different organs. In addition to obtaining a holistic picture of these often interconnected defense mechanisms, doctoral researchers have access to modern technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, cutting edge microscopy, etc.), which can only be provided by an interactive research consortium. This training will enable our doctoral researchers to address questions in plant defense at a system-wide level in the frame of an international collaboration. Importantly, the doctoral researchers will not only learn about science and technology but also experience the differences and commonalities in the infrastructures and philosophies of the two participating universities. UGOE represents the “Old European World” and UBC the “New World” that is strongly influenced by East-Asia. Thus, PIs and doctoral researchers will have an exciting opportunity to learn from each other by the exchange of project ideas, technologies and develop cross-cultural capabilities. In summary, this program provides intense scientific guidance by a group of experienced PIs and excellent experimental infrastructure for successful PhD projects. Moreover, the program trains young scientists for influential positions in academia, the public sector or industry.

• DFG Programme: International Research Training Groups
• International Connection: Canada
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• IRTG-Partner Institution: University of British Columbia
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Ivo Feußner
• IRTG-Partner: Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Xin Li
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Gerhard H. Braus; Professor Dr. Armin Djamei; Professorin Dr. Christiane Gatz; Professor Dr. Till Ischebeck; Professor Dr. Volker Lipka; Dr. Daniela Elisabeth Nordzieke, since 2/2022; Professorin Dr. Andrea Polle; Dr. Thomas Spallek, since 7/2022; Professor Dr. Marcel Wiermer, from 12/2019 until 4/2022