Biosciences
Research Topic B
Abstract of the proposed UNIPhD research project
Autophagy is a key process for the intracellular degradation and recycling of cytoplasmic components and is highly conserved across the eukaryotic kingdoms. Several proteins regulate autophagy initiation and various regulatory processes in mammals, but they have never been described in plants. The aim of my project is to investigate the cross-kingdom functional conservation of autophagy by using the moss P. patens as model organism. Specifically, I will define the relevance of candidate proteins in plant development and autophagic flux as well as expanding their network in plants.
Short bio
Giulia Ghirardello comes from Italy and was awarded a Master of Science in Biology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala (Sweden) in 2021. Her studies focused on the improvement of plant traits for the development of a sustainable agriculture by using molecular biology tools. She has always been fascinated by how plants react to environmental stresses and during her Master’s thesis, she investigated the role of autophagy in the plant immune system in response to viral infection. She likes travelling, long walks in the nature and comics. As PhD student in Biosciences, she aims to deepen her knowledge in plant biology and continue her studies on autophagy in order to pursue a career in the research field.
