People

After doing my PhD on the biology of tumor induction by mammalian retroviruses, I went to study plant biology and Arabidopsis thaliana in the laboratory of Chris Somerville at Michigan State University and Carnegie Institution at Stanford (USA). I joined the University of Lausanne in 1995.

I entered the Plant Science field during my Erasmus program in Heidelberg in 2020. I joined the COS lab to work on lateral root development in Arabidopsis Thaliana under the supervision of Dr. Jazmin Reyes Hernandez and Prof. Alexis Maizel at the Center of Organismal Studies, where I explored the mechanisms maintaining the proper development of lateral root primordium, focusing on phospholipids. Recently I joined Prof. Yves Poirier’s group to study ectomycorrhizal symbioses, especially the phosphate cycle regulations in Laccaria bicolor.

During my studies in Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, I was fascinated about plant molecular biology so I did a PhD in the laboratory of Maria Eugenia Zanetti and Flavio Blanco at IBBM-CONICET, studying the molecular mechanisms underlying the nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between Phaseolus vulgaris and Rhizobium etli. In May 2018 I joined Prof. Yves Poirier laboratory to study the phosphate sensing pathways in A. thaliana.

I joined the Department in April 2003. I use my skills in molecular biology to generate and analyse transgenic plants and yeast. I participated in research themes of the laboratory, with more emphasis on the PHA project for the first 7 years. Coming to the lab has brought me further knowledge in biochemistry that enables me to investigate the metabolism of lipids and fatty acids, and the biosynthesis of the PHA polymer. The last years I work on the Biotin project. I am also in charge of creating and updating our website. Finally, since June 2013 I am COSEC and Biosafety Officier of our department.

After obtaining my bachelor degree, I did my PhD under the supervision of Dr. Pablo Diego Cerdán at the laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology of the Leloir Institute in Buenos Aires. The general objective of my PhD thesis was the study of the Mediator, a complex involved in the DNA Polymerize II mediated transcription process, and its involvement in different developmental stages of Arabidopsis thaliana. In May 2019 I joined Prof. Yves Poirier group as part of a project to improve plant growth under low phosphate by the use of the CRISPR-Cas9 technology.

After my masters, I worked as a project JRF in the laboratory of Dr. Anjan Banerjee in IISER Pune to explore the field of Plant Biology. There I was investigating the role of epigenetic regulators in potato tuberization. In May 2018, I joined Prof. Yves Poirier’s laboratory for my PhD, where I am studying the posttranslational regulation of PHO1 trafficking in A. thaliana.

Group Leader

Prof. Yves Poirier
+41 21 692 42 22
Yves.Poirier@unil.ch

Post-Doc

Joaquin Clua
+41 21 692 42 39
joaquin.clua@unil.ch

Aime Jaskolowski
+41 21 692 42 35
aime.jaskolowski@unil.ch

PhD Students

Sami Bouziri
+41 21 692 42 34
sami.bouziri@unil.ch

Pallavi Vetal
+41 21 692 42 39
pallavi.vetal@unil.ch

Staff

Syndie Delessert
+41 21 692 42 31
Syndie.Delessert@unil.ch