M (Makrina) Diakaki MSc

I started my PhD in July 2020 and study the role of the seed microbiome in seed health and seed resilience against pathogens. Parallel to my work, I organize and chair the Plant Microbiome discussion group for early career researchers affiliated with Dutch institutes and universities and the Seed Microbiome Working Group for early career researchers working on my field.

My academic interests include the seed microbiome, phytopathology, disease suppression, microbial ecology and sustainable approaches in agriculture, especially in relation to plant health.

I am a Plant Biologist with a specialization in sustainable cropping systems. I completed my BSc Hons in Biological Sciences (Plant Science) in 2015 from the University of Edinburgh (UK) and the Plant Health Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in 2018 from the University of Goettingen (Germany) and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain). My Master's thesis was titled 'Evaluation of new control strategies for Phytophthora diseases in pepper' and executed in the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA). Before starting my PhD I also completed a one year traineeship at the European Food Safety Authority (Italy) where I was part of the Pest Surveillance Working Group of the Plant Health team.