Evolution of Plant Signaling Lab

Prof. Dr. Isabel Monte, Junior Professor (W1 tenure-track)
isabel.montespam prevention@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de
Phone: +49 7071 29 73222

Isabel studied Pharmacy and Biochemistry at the University of Salamanca (Spain) and did her Master in Biotechnology at the University Autonoma de Madrid (Spain). In 2011 she joined Prof. Roberto Solano’s lab (CNB-CSIC, Madrid) for her master thesis, PhD, and a short postdoc, where she investigated the evolution of jasmonate biosynthesis and signaling in land plants. In 2013, she started to work with her favorite plant, the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, through a collaboration with Prof. Takayuki Kohchi (University of Kyoto, Japan). In 2019 she moved to Prof. Cyril Zipfel’s lab (University of Zürich, Switzerland) as a postdoc to study plant immunity in M. polymorpha. In 2022 she started the Evolution of Plant Signaling Lab at the ZMBP (University of Tübingen, Germany) as Junior Group Leader. Since 2023, she is Junior Professor (W1, tenure-track) at the Department of Plant Physiology (ZMBP, University of Tübingen, Germany). In 2024 she was awarded an ERC starting grant (FRIENEMIES).
GoogleScholar
ORCID

Ulrike Herzog (former Hiller), Technician
ulrike.herzogspam prevention@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de
Phone: +49 7071 29 73205

Uli had her occupational training to become a BTA (biological technical assistant) in Überlingen at the Lake of Constance (Germany). In 1994 she started working in cardiology research in the Medical Clinic of the University of Tübingen. In 1997 she switched to plant research and worked for Prof. Gerd Jürgens, who was later a co-founder of the ZMBP. From 2020 to 2022 she worked for Dr. Katharina Markmann. Since March 2022 she works with Isabel.
She likes hiking with geocaching, reading, playing volleyball and making candles.

Dr. Chia-Nan Tao, Postdoc
chia-nan.taospam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de
Phone: +49 7071 29 73205

Chia-Nan completed her undergraduate studies at National Taiwan University, where she did an internship with Dr. Laurent Zimmerli and was introduced to the world of plant immunity and induced resistance. Captivated by the plant immune system and its potential applications in crop protection, she pursued a Master's degree at the University of Queensland, Australia, in 2014. During her master study, she researched the role of heterotrimeric G proteins in plant immunity in the lab of Professor Jimmy Botella. In 2019, she joined Professor Jurriaan Ton’s group at the University of Sheffield, UK where she worked on the signaling pathways controlling induced resistance by beta-amino acids. She joined our group in April 2024 to investigate the evolution of receptor-like kinase in land plants.

Dr. Sara Guerrero, PostDoc
sara.guerrerospam prevention@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de
Phone: +49 7071 29 73205

Sara studied Biology and earned a master’s in plant biotechnology at the University of Oviedo, Spain. During her PhD with Prof. Mónica Meijón, she investigated natural variation and evolution of plant responses to climate change in Arabidopsis and Marchantia from a systems biology perspective (but she also contributed to exciting studies on overlooked non-model species like pines!). An internship in Dr. Frédéric Berger's lab at the GMI (Vienna, Austria) further deepened her passion for plant evolution. She joined our lab in February 2025 as a postdoc to explore the evolution of SOBIR1 in land plants.                                                                                                                               Outside the lab, she enjoys solving escape rooms, spending time with her cat, and writing about the worlds she envisions.

Dr. Alberto Pedrero-Méndez, Postdoc
alberto.pedrero-mendezspam prevention@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de
Phone: +49 7071 29 73205

Alberto studied his Bachelor in Biotechnology in the University of Murcia and his Master in Advanced Techniques in Agricultural and Food Research and Development in the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (Spain). During his PhD with Prof. Enrique Monte and Prof. Rosa Hermosa at the Institute for Agribiotechnology Research (CIALE) - University of Salamanca (Spain), he worked on the identification of beneficial Trichoderma strains that conferred drought tolerance and Fusarium head blight resistance to wheat. Due to his increasing interest in molecular plant microbe-interactions (MPMI), he joined the Evolution of Plant Signaling Lab in February 2026. As postdoc within the ERC StG FRIENEMIES project, he is now working on the molecular basis for the pathogenicity to mutualism switch of the fungus Trichoderma in Marchantia polymorpha.
Outside the lab, he enjoys reading, cooking and hiking.

Dr. Paolo Stincone, Postdoc
paolo.stinconespam prevention@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de
Phone: +49 7071 29 73205

Paolo studied Biology and earned a Master’s degree in Biodiversity and Evolution at the University of Palermo, Italy. He obtained his PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where he investigated microbe–microbe interactions using proteomics approaches.
He then joined the University of Tübingen as a postdoctoral researcher within the Cluster of Excellence CMFI. Working with Prof. Daniel Petras and Prof. Eric Kemen, and supported by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, he focused on mass spectrometry and non-targeted metabolomics to study microbial communities, with particular emphasis on small metabolites in phyllosphere microbiome stability and plant protection in Arabidopsis thaliana.
In March 2026, he joined the GreenRobust Cluster of Excellence in a project investigating Cross-scale mechanisms of Trichoderma-induced robustness across land plants.
Outside the lab, he enjoys slow walks, good conversations with friends in a bar, and relaxing at home.

Francisco Gordillo Cantón, PhD student
francisco.gordillospam prevention@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de

Phone: +49 7071 29 73205

Fran studied Biochemistry at the University of Sevilla (Spain). During this time he discovered how fascinating plants are, which sparked his interest in plant molecular biology. He then studied a Master in Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology at the University of Sevilla. In September 2022, Fran started his PhD at the ZMBP, where he focuses on understanding how LRR-RKs signaling pathways related to development and immunity evolved in land plants. Fran’s PhD is funded by the SFB/CRC1101.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FranGordilloC

Adrián Vojtaššák, PhD student
adrian.vojtassakspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de
Phone: +49 7071 29 73205

Adrián studied Biology at the University of Tübingen, while working as a student helper at Prof. Gerd Jürgens Lab and developing his passion for plant research. He continued to do his masters at ZMBP and ended up investigating the evolution of plant-fungus interactions in non-seed plants. He joined our lab in October 2023 to investigate plant-fungus interactions. His PhD is funded by the ERC StG FRIENEMIES.
When not in the lab, he can be found rock climbing or tinkering with his bicycle.

Raphael Schaal, PhD student
raphael.schaalspam prevention@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de
Phone: +49 7071 29 73205

After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at the University of Tübingen in 2022, Raphael decided to take part in the ZMBP Master’s program. During his Master thesis in Isabel’s lab on the evolution of CrRLK1L in land plant immunity, he identified Marchantia mutants that show resistance to pathogenic Trichoderma strains.
His PhD project focuses on the characterization of signaling pathways in Marchantia involved in resistance or susceptibility to the fungus Trichoderma as part of the ERC StG FRIENEMIES. The ultimate goal is to understand how land plants evolved different strategies, ranging from susceptibility to mutualism, to interact with the fungus Trichoderma.                                                                                                                                       In his free time, Raphael enjoys spending time outdoor, playing computer games and traveling.