Predoctoral Fellow-Genome editing, cutting-edge technology for a sustainable agriculture

I am a new plant mamma. In 2016, I graduated from Bangladesh Agricultural University with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. Then I have completed my Master’s degree in Crop Botany from same the same university in 2018. Following that, in 2020, I have joined as a faculty member in the department of Crop Botany at Khulna Agricultural University, Bangladesh. I started working in the lab of Prof. Dr. Frank Van Breusegem at the VIB-Ugent Center for Plant System Biology in Ghent in January 2025 as a predoctoral fellow. For grass peas with a reduced toxin level and a better potential yield, I will concentrate on genome editing. We will attempt to revel out the correlation of ODAP in tolerance to stress in Grass Pea.

Mingjian Zhou obtained his bachelor degree in bioengineering at Jiangsu University of Science and Technology in China. He begins a continuous academic project that involves postgraduate and doctoral study on Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Nanjing agricultural University from September 2020. He focused on the redox-based regulation of hydrogen sulfide and persulfidation and mechanisms of osmotic and drought tolerance in plants. He joined oxidative stress signaling research group of Professor Frank since November 2022 as a joined Ph.D. student and based the topic of “Thiol-Based Protection Mechanisms In Plant Stress Responses: From S-Sulfenylation To Persulfidation”.

I obtained my Bachelor's degree in Plant Biotechnology from the University of Montpellier in 2023. Throughout my studies, I gained expertise in confocal microscopy, R programming, enzyme kinetics, calcium signaling, and the use of WinRhizo software, as well as fieldwork experience in tropical ecosystems. In 2023, I began the Erasmus Mundus Master's program in Tropical Ecology (TROPIMUNDO MSc). As part of my master's thesis, I joined F. Van Breusegem’s research unit to study plant-to-plant communication. My project aims to compare chemical and electrical above-ground communication in tobacco and tomato plants, focusing on both intra- and inter-species interactions.

PhD fellow

Simon Tack obtained his Bachelors in Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the University of Ghent (UGhent, Belgium).He stayed at UGhent to persue a Master in Molecular Plant Biology.During his Master-thesis he joined the VIB-UGhent 'Oxidative Stress Signaling' lab (led by Prof. Dr. F. Van Breusegem) where he focused on showing Metacaspase activity using FRET-based sensors under the guidance of Dr. A.D. Fernandez Fernandez and Prof. Dr. S. Stael. In November 2022 he joined the OSS lab as a PhD fellow and continues his efforts on showing protease activity in plants (Arabidopsis thaliana, Nicotiana Benthamiana, Brassica napus) under the direct supervision of Prof. Dr. Van Breusegem. Since 2025 Simon is involved in the construction of protease-mutants in maize and part of a Collaborative Science Initiative (CSI) within the VIB. During his PhD, Simon has been very passionate about science communication involving plant biotechnology, resulting a.o. in collaborations with Technopolis (2024) and DocVille (ongoing), talks in high schools and on ‘National Science day’ and the organization of a National PhD symposium.

Simon Tack behaalde zijn Bachelor in Biochemie en biotechnologie aan de UGent en bleef voor een Master in Moleculaire Planten Biotechnologie. In het VIB-UGhent 'Oxidative Stress Signaling' lab (OSS, onder leiding van Prof. Dr. F. Van Breusegem) maakt hij zijn Master-thesis met een focus op het visualiseren van Metacaspase activiteit door gebruik te maken van FRET-based biosensoren. Dit werd gedaan onder toezicht van Dr. A.D. Fernandez Fernandez and Prof. Dr. S. Stael. In November 2022 begon Simon aan zijn doctoraat in het OSS labo waarbij hij zich verder verdiept in het visualiseren van protease activiteit in planten (Arabidopsis thaliana, Nicothiana benthamiana, Brassica napus) onder de supervisie van Prof. Dr. Van Breusegem. Sinds 2025 werkt Simon mee aan het aanmaken van protease-mutanten in Mais en maakt hij deel uit van een CSI consortium binnen het VIB. Simon is sinds het begin van zijn PhD gepassioneerd bezig geweest met Wetenschapscommunicatie omtrent planten biotechnologie en fluorescentie. Dit leidt o.a. tot samenwerkingen met Technopolis (2024) en DocVille (gaande), presentaties op middelbare scholen en rondleidingen op de Dag Van De Wetenschappen en tot het organiseren van een nationaal symposium van en voor jonge PhD studenten.

Jingjing Huang obtained the master degree in Molecular biology and Biochemistry from Nanjing Agricultural University (China) in 2009. In 2010, She Joined the Delledonne lab in the University of Verona (Italy) to study the origins of nitric oxide in plants and mechanism that how plants perceive and transduce the nitric oxide signal in cellular pathways. She obtained the PhD degree in Biotechnology in 2014. From June 2014 till October 2016, she worked in the Messens lab in VIB-VUB center for Structural Biology, mainly focused on focued on in vitro biochemical study on the S-sulfenylated plant proteins. Since November 2016, she continued her research work on Cys OxiPTM to work in the Van Breusegem in VIB-UGent center for Plant System Biology. From September to December in 2018, Jingjing has worked in Claire Remacle lab in the University of Liege on project "Organellar Redox Signaling in Plants". Since October 2019, Jingjing works as a senior FWO postdoctoral fellow in the Van Breusegem lab focusing on Cysteine oxidations in plants.