Alumni testimonial

Alumni story Lea Broschewitz

Lea Broschewitz: PhD and Research Assistant at JKI (Institute for Breeding Research on Fruit Crops)

Characterisation of apple pectin structure and relationship with fruit processability

“I am truly glad that my current job expresses my interests between plant biology and bioinformatics, practical and theoretical work, just as my MSc at Wageningen University did.”

After my Masters double degree at Wageningen University, I returned to Germany and started working at Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, at the Institute for Breeding Research on Fruit Crops in Dresden Pillnitz.

In my working group at the German Fruit Genebank, I am analysing the pomological and molecular data of apples, pears and sour cherries. The data is used to investigate cultivar identity, genetic structure and relationships between cultivars. The characterization of cultivars is of great importance for the management and conservation of genetic resources as a valuable tool for breeders.

Next to the data analysis side of my job, there is also a lot of variety in my tasks from fieldwork such as tracking flowering time of trees to extensive literature research on cultivar information and even genetic marker analysis in the laboratory. Additionally, I also get the chance to participate, organize and present my work at international conferences. Therefore, I am truly glad that my current job expresses my interests between plant biology and bioinformatics, practical and theoretical work, just as my MSc at Wageningen University did.