Robigalia Roundup XXXIX

Hello {{first_name | Robigalia Readers}},

Welcome back to another edition of the Robigalia Roundup!

If you’re new here, Robigalia is your weekly roundup of the latest research, researchers, scholarships, and opportunities in plant pathology globally. Make sure you’re a subscriber to have these opportunities and events delivered directly to your inbox every Monday.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent some of your spare time plugging proteins into AlphaFold3 to predict their structure. One problem I’ve encountered when modelling oligomerised NLRs is low confidence in the membrane-interacting domains. I came across this preprint from the Netherlands last week, investigating protein models of human norovirus. Using what they now call a “fatty-acid hack,” the researchers were able to produce high-confidence models simply by adding fatty acid molecules to their AlphaFold3 inputs to mimic the plasma membrane. I’m yet to try my hand at this hack, but if you’re a regular AlphaFold3 user and this works for you, please let me know.

Now, onto this week’s edition. There are several new jobs and PhD positions listed, as well as an undergraduate summer studentship position. Also, I introduce a PhD student from Brazil, working on sugarcane smut resistance.

Let’s dive in!

⭐ Meet Joyce Ferreti ⭐

This week, we meet Joyce Ferreti, a PhD student in Plant Pathology at ESALQ, University of São Paulo, Brazil.

Joyce’s passion for plant pathology began during her undergraduate degree in Biotechnology at UFSCar. Captivated by the dynamic interactions between plants, pathogens, and beneficial microbes, her curiosity grew during her master’s at ESALQ, where she studied the oxidative stress responses of sugarcane to Sporisorium scitamineum.

Now in her PhD, her research focuses on understanding plant health and its correlation with soil properties, the microbiome, and disease resistance in sugarcane. Specifically, she studies how sugarcane genotypes interact with soils of contrasting textures to influence microbial communities, and how these interactions affect plant resilience to pathogens.

Her work involves investigating the interaction between Sporisorium scitamineum, the causal agent of sugarcane smut, and two sugarcane genotypes with varying levels of resistance. By combining RNAseq and microbiome analyses, she aims to uncover the molecular and microbial mechanisms that contribute to plant health and disease resistance. Joyce’s long-term goal is to contribute to research and development in sustainable agriculture, focusing on the role of microbiomes and soil health in improving plant resilience to diseases.

In addition to her PhD, Joyce is currently working as a molecular biology researcher at a startup focused on agricultural innovation, allowing her to bridge the gap between scientific discoveries and real-world applications.

For students in plant pathology, her advice is to “keep an open mind and explore the interdisciplinarity of this field. Understanding plant health requires integrating concepts from microbiology, molecular biology, soil science, and bioinformatics. Building strong collaborations and staying curious can lead to exciting discoveries.”

Joyce is always looking for new challenges and innovative ways to bring science into everyday life, making complex concepts more accessible. Whether in the lab or in a startup environment, she loves connecting ideas, people, and technology to drive real impact in agriculture.

If you would like to learn more about Joyce’s research, you can contact her via LinkedIn or post your questions in the comments.

New opportunities below are indicated by two asterisks at the start of the entry **

Until next week,

Alyssa

_{** Disclaimer: No dogs were harmed in the production of this newsletter.}