Research Group
Schornack research group based at the Sainsbury Laboratory
Research Overview
My research explores how plants interact with invading pathogens at the molecular level, using Marchantia polymorpha — a non-vascular bryophyte liverwort — as a model system. I investigate how specific transcription factors coordinate immune signalling and microbial colonization to uncover molecular principles that shaped plant–microbe interactions in plants that colonized land over 450 million years ago. By examining the roles of these regulators not only in pathogen defence but also in key developmental processes such as reproduction, my work seeks to reveal how plants balance growth and immunity. Understanding these conserved regulatory mechanisms provides insights into the evolutionary roots of plant resilience and informs strategies to enhance disease resistance in crop plants.
Previous Positions
2024 to 2025 - Research Assistant - Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge
2024 - Visiting Researcher - Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge
Qualifications
2023 - MPhil in Plant Sciences - Department of Botany, University of Delhi, India
2021 - BSc in Plant Biology - Hindu College, University of Delhi, India
Key Publications
'Nurturing health through millet derived nutraceuticals', (2024), Food and Humanity.
