dr. CMM (Charlotte) Gommers

My research

Chloroplasts are the powerplants of the plant cell and produce energy from light and air. These organelles are extremely sensitive to the environment: abiotic factors such as light and salinity have strong impact on the development and function of the chloroplasts. Luckily, stressed chloroplasts can call for help from the nucleus via so-called retrograde signals. These signals adjust nuclear gene expression to help restore the chloroplast, but also to adjust whole plant development.

I aim to investigate how chloroplasts contribute to the perception of and the adaptation to changing environments, and how this helps plants to tolerate abiotic stresses.

If you want to discuss the possibilities of working with me, don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail. 

My career 

I started working as an Assistant Professor in the Plant Physiology laboratory in February 2019. In the past, I have studied how plants respond to changes in light quality when they are shaded by neighboring plants (PhD, Ronald Pierik group, Utrecht University) and how chloroplast retrograde signals antagonize photoreceptor-mediated development (Post-doc, Elena Monte group, CRAG Barcelona).

Read more about me and my work on my group's website: www.plastidphysiology.nl

You can also find me on: ORCID and Google Scholar