Welcome to the Chair of Plant Systems Biology

Welcome to the website of the Chair of Plant Systems Biology at the School of Life Sciences of the Technische Universität München.

By combining molecular, genetic, and cell biological approaches with functional genomics and proteomics, we are examining fundamental processes in plant development.

The group of Prof. Dr. Claus Schwechheimer is interested in signal transduction processes in the plant model species Arabidopsis thaliana. Specifically, they analyse processes regulated by the plant hormone gibberellin and the role of auxin transport-regulatory protein kinases.

The independent group of PD Dr. Ulrich Z. Hammes uses cell biological and physiological methods to examine amino acid and auxin transport in plants.

The independent group of Dr. Philipp Denninger will start at the Chair in July 2019. Dr. Denninger is interested in how cells grow in a polar manner. Especially, the association of proteins with the plasma membrane to establish and maintain cell polarity is investigated using cell biological, biochemical and microscopy techniques.

We are honoured to host two Hans Fischer Senior Fellows. Prof. Dr. Olga Boudker is a professor of physiology and biophysics at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She looks to understand the mechanisms of membrane transporters and their role in cellular function. She was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, USA in 2022. In the frame of the Hans Fischer senior fellowship, Prof. Boudker will investigate proton coupled amino acid transporters from plants.

Prof. Dr. Bjørn Panyella Pedersen is a Danish structure biologist from Aarhus University. Combining structural biology and biophysical methods, his work focuses on similarities and differences of molecular transport mechanisms in plants and other eukaryotes. He was supported by several fellowships, including a Marie Sklodowska Curie COFUND fellowship at the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, by an ERC Starting Grant and by an ERC Consolidator Grant.

More information on our work and the team can be found on the following pages.

We have positions available for those who are interested in conducting a practical training, in performing a Bachelor, Master, Ph.D. thesis or in performing postdoctoral research. Please contact:

Prof. Dr. Claus Schwechheimer
- Plant Systems Biology -
Technische Universität München
School of Life Sciences
Emil-Ramann-Straße 8
D-85354 Freising
Email: claus.schwechheimer@tum.de
Phone: ++49 (0)8161 71-2880

Consultation: Mondays 9 – 11 am or following prior arrangement