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OPPORTUNITY FOR A STIPEND
(04/26)
A stipend is available for 6 weeks (between June - August 2026) at the Institute of Botany in the faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf.
- Funding aim: Exploring legume tolerance on acidic soils.
- Target group: Successful applicants are expected to have a track record in legume research, phenotyping and transcriptomics, data to write a review and original research manuscript on acidic soil tolerance in Vigna species.
Please submit a single pdf with your application documents by email to the Institute of Botany c/o Lucia Gold, botanik.sekretariat@hhu.de.
Please note: Application is possible up to May 15, 2026.
- Selection commitee: Prof. Dr. Petra Bauer & team members
Düsseldorf, 30.3.2026
gez. P. Bauer
![[Translate to English:] Erklärung des Geräts für die ICP-MS Analysen](/fileadmin/_processed_/c/c/csm_IMG_20260325_133718_372_1de1981e85.jpg)
![[Translate to English:] Erklärung des Geräts für die ICP-MS Analysen](/fileadmin/_processed_/a/f/csm_IMG_20260325_141758_073_dd7517fda9.jpg)
VISIT TO THE COLOGNE BIOCENTER
(03/26)
A small group of staff and students from the institute visited Sabine Metzger at the Biozentrum at the University of Cologne to take a look at the equipment used for ICP-MS analyses.
https://biologie.uni-koeln.de/department/wissenschaftliche-einrichtungen/ms-plattform
Dr. Metzger began by giving a very informative presentation to introduce the topic. This was followed by a tour of the lab, where we were able to see the equipment and experience it firsthand. We had many questions, all of which she answered. Thanks!
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CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR DOCTORATE
(01/26)
Your doctorate is a well-deserved reward for all your hard work!
We congratulate Dr. Mary Njeri Ngigi on completing her doctorate and wish her luck, success, and all the best for her future career!
![[Translate to English:] María Bernal Ibañez](/fileadmin/redaktion/Fakultaeten/Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche_Fakultaet/Biologie/Institute/Botanik/Bilder/Fotos_TEAM/Team_Maria_Bernal_blackandwhite_TWK.jpg)
GUEST RESEARCHER AT THE INSTITUTE
(01/26)
Dr. María Bernal Ibáñez from the Estación Experimental de Aula Dei (EEAD), a research institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Zaragoza, Spain, has joined our group as a guest researcher.
Her research focuses on the molecular analysis of the interplay between copper and iron homeostasis in crops.
![[Translate to English:] Hasthi Ram](/fileadmin/redaktion/Fakultaeten/Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche_Fakultaet/Biologie/Institute/Botanik/Bilder/Fotos_TEAM/Team_Hasthi_Ram.png)
ALEXANDER-VON-HUMBOLDT FELLOWSHIP
(01/26)
Dr. Hasthi Ram from National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi, India, has joined our group as an "Alexander von Humboldt Fellow".
His research focuses on the functional exploration of iron homeostasis genes in rice and developing iron biofortified rice using CRISPR-Cas technology.
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Heinrich Heine Universität
Universitätsstr. 1
40225 Düsseldorf Building: 26.14
Floor/room: 01.75
Heinrich Heine Universität
Universitätsstr. 1
40225 Düsseldorf Building: 26.14
Floor/room: 01.73
![[Translate to English:] SPARC Logos India](/fileadmin/redaktion/Fakultaeten/Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche_Fakultaet/Biologie/Institute/Botanik/Bilder/SPARC_Indien/SPARC_Logos_India.jpg)
JOINT COLLABORATION & INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
(02/26)
A vibrant Indo‑German partnership has been funded by the SPARC program in 2025 to 2026: Professor Sanjib Kumar Panda (Chair of Plant Biochemistry, Central University of Rajasthan, CURaj) and Professor Petra Bauer (Institute of Botany, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, HHU) are leading a two‑year project to accelerate research on stress‑resilient, nutrient‑rich legume crops. Focusing on mungbean tolerance to acidic soils, a condition causing iron and aluminium toxicity, and common in North‑East India, the team is uncovering genes and mechanisms that control iron homeostasis and iron toxicity responses — knowledge that will drive development of hardy, high‑yielding mungbean varieties for acidic soil‑stressed regions.
The collaboration has already seen intensive exchange:
- Prof. Bauer visited CURaj twice for manuscript preparation and conference planning,
- German PhD researcher Mary Ngigi joined project discussions in India and supported a genome editing project
- and Indian PhD candidates Asha Kumari and Mayur Patel conducted physiological and transcriptomic experiments at HHU.
A highlight of these efforts, has been the CURaj-hosted international SPARC conference on 25–26 February 2026: “Advancing Plant Biotechnology for Stress Resilience and Nutritional Food Security — Chances for Legume and Orphan Crops,” bringing together experts in plant physiology, genomics, biotechnology and breeding to explore innovative solutions for food security, malnutrition and sustainable agriculture.
This partnership exemplifies the international teamwork to translate cutting‑edge science into real agricultural impact. SPARC (Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration) is an initiative of India’s Ministry of Education to strengthen research ties between Indian higher-education institutions and top global universities.
![[Translate to English:] SPARC Team](/fileadmin/redaktion/Fakultaeten/Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche_Fakultaet/Biologie/Institute/Botanik/Bilder/SPARC_Indien/SPARC_2026_Folie1_NEU.jpg)
![[Translate to English:] Prof. Dr. Petra Bauer](/fileadmin/redaktion/Fakultaeten/Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche_Fakultaet/Biologie/Institute/Botanik/Bilder/Fotos_TEAM/Team_Petra_Bauer_Foto-Christoph-Kawan.jpg "[Translate to English:] Prof. Dr. Petra Bauer")
RP-COLUMN "WISSENSDRANG"
(2026)
Since March 2023, Prof. Dr. Petra Bauer (Institute of Botany) and Prof. Dr. Nicole Teusch (Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Biotechnology) have been taking turns with philosopher Maria-Sibylla Lotter to discuss scientific topics in this column.
Folge 01/26 (27.01.2026) > Wie leben Pflanzen in der Stadt?
Folge 02/26 (24.02.2026) > Glyphosat oder Alternativen
Previous episodes can be found in the news archives.
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