About the Editors
Editor-in-Chief
Cinzia Margherita Bertea, PhD
Associate Professor of Plant Physiology
Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin
Turin, Italy
Cinzia Bertea's scientific interests are mainly focused on basic and applied research related to physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology of plant responses to abiotic (drought, heat, salinity) and biotic stress (insects and microorganisms) and on molecular biology and biochemistry of secondary metabolites with particular regard to terpenoids and phenolic compounds in medicinal and food plants.
Her current research lines include:
• search for new plant biostimulants, innovative products employed in agriculture for enhancing plant growth, development, tolerance to enviromental stress
• isolation, analysis and biological activity evaluation of primary and secondary metabolites from plants and other organisms to be employed in food and pharmaceutical industries
• DNA barcoding and fingerprinting of medicinal and food plants
Associate Editors
Salma Balazadeh, PhD
Leiden University
Netherlands
Salma Balazadeh obtained her Ph.D. degree in Molecular Plant Biology from the Max Planck Institute and the University of Potsdam. She is now an Associate Professor at Leiden University, where her lab investigates how plants respond to environmental stress and how beneficial microbes enhance plant resilience to conditions like drought and heat.
Walter Chitarra, PhD
Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA-VE)
Conegliano, TV, Italy
Walter's research activity is focused on topics involving and integrating plant physiology and plant pathology approaches to deepen basic mechanisms and also to provide practical answers for growers to counteract biotic and abiotic stress events. Particular interest has been placed in the study of plant-pathogen interactions, mycorrhizal symbiosis and other beneficial microorganisms in grapevine and other model plants for the induction of priming responses against biotic and abiotic stresses, growth promotion and improvement of quality features. Another line of research in his group is the development of sustainable biotechnologies such as the use of interfering RNA in grapevine against the main fungal pathogens, genome editing technology to improve resilience against downy and powdery mildews as well as to water stress.
Ioannis Stringlis, PhD
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens
Attica, Greece
I am Assistant Professor at the Agricultural University of Athens. My research focuses on a) plant-microbiome-pathogen interactions, b) mechanisms of induced systemic resistance in plants, c) interaction between iron deficiency and pathogens, and d) plant defense mechanisms activated in response to phytopathogens and beneficial microbes.
I completed my PhD studies (topic: Plant-microbe interactions; 2018) and later worked as postdoctoral researcher (topic: plant-microbiome interactions; 2018 - 2023) at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. https://w1.aua.gr/efp/en/faculty/ioannis-stringlis/
Kevin Yueju Wang, PhD
Associate Professor of Molecular Biology University of Pikeville
Pikeville, KY, USA
I am a dedicated researcher specializing in plant biotechnology, with a strong focus on plant molecular farming and protein expression. My work aims to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability through the development of plants that can produce recombinant pharmaceuticals and high-value protein compounds. Leveraging advanced biotech tools, I strive to engineer plant genomes for improved traits and resilience against environmental stresses. My research contributes to the innovative use of plants in biotechnology, aiming to address global challenges in medicine and agriculture.
Kewei Zhang
Professor/ Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology,
College of life sciences, Zhejiang Normal University
Zhejiang, China
Kewei Zhang is a distinguished professor of Qianjiang Scholars at Zhejiang Normal University. His research group is dedicated to exploring the regulation mechanism of hormones in plant growth and development. Using Arabidopsis Thaliana and Oryza Sativa as model plants, he delves into the mechanisms of hormone synthesis, transport, and signal transduction in plant growth and adaptation. His research aims to uncover the regulation mechanisms of essential agronomic traits and develop innovative methods to improve crop yields. He is most interested in three objects: 1) Regulation of plant growth and senescence, 2) Phytohormone translocation, and 3) Phytohormone metabolism and regulation.
Advisory Editor
Wenjia Wang, PhD
Nature Communications
Shanghai, China
Wenjia joined Nature Communications in October 2023. She received her PhD degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her doctoral work focused on root development and cell fate specification. During her postdoctoral research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, she studied root-rhizobacteria interaction. Before joining the team, Wenjia worked at Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology as an editor for Molecular Plant and Plant Communications. Wenjia is based in the Shanghai office and mainly handles plant biology manuscripts.
Editorial Board Members
Salma Balazadeh, PhD, Leiden University , Leiden, Netherlands
Lorenzo Camoni, MD, Department of Biology, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Marco Giovannetti, PhD, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
Omid Karami, PhD, Molecular Biology Department, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Streat 24–25, Haus 20, 14476, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
Giuseppe Mannino, PhD, Department of Life Science and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Piedmont, Italy
Ive De Smet, PhD, VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, Gent, Belgium
Rashmi Sasidharan, PhD, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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