Colloquium with Sarah E. O‘Connor (MPI for Chemical Ecology, Jena)
On 20 January 2026, Sarah E. O‘Connor (MPI for Chemical Ecology, Jena) will present insights to her current research as part of the SNP2Prot Colloquium Series.
Speaker: Sarah E. O‘Connor (MPI for Chemical Ecology, Jena)
Title: Harnessing the Chemistry of Natural Products
Date: Tuesday, 20 January 2026
Time: 5 pm
Location: Lecture hall E.02, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 9 (Heide Süd Campus), 06120 Halle (Saale)
Abstract: Nature makes thousands of molecules– natural products– that have many applications in medicine and beyond. Plants in particular are an extremely important source of these molecules. Synthetic biology approaches are being used with increasing success to overproduce medicinally and agriculturally important plant-derived molecules in heterologous hosts. However, to pursue such approaches effectively, we must first fully understand the chemistry and biology of the biosynthetic pathways that generate these molecules. Given the complexity of plants and plant genomics, this pathway discovery process has been a major bottleneck in harnessing the chemical power of plants. Our research aims to develop methods and resources to unlock the biosynthesis of complex molecules produced by plants. We are developing new omics methods to find these genes more efficiently. We also explore mechanisms by which these complex plant pathways have evolved to create extraordinary chemical diversity.
If you like to meet with the speaker, please contact the host, Christian Wall or Andrea Sinz.
See all upcoming SNP2Prot colloquia listed here: https://snp2prot.uni-halle.de/events/category/colloquium/
The SNP2Prot Colloquium Series is integrated to the
- Halle Plant Science Colloquium (HPSC) – https://www.landw.uni-halle.de/prof/pflanzenernaehrung/hpsc/
- IPB Seminar Series – https://www.ipb-halle.de/forschung/symposien-und-kolloquien/vortraege/ipb-seminare