Mauricio Lopez-Obando: The Plant Cell First Author
Mauricio Lopez-Obando, co-first author of “The Physcomitrium (Physcomitrella) patens PpKAI2L receptors for strigolactones and related compounds function via MAX2-dependent and independent pathways”
Current Position: Consultant and Vedas CII´s Associated Volunteer.
Education: BSc in chemistry and Agricultural Engineer, Universidad del Valle, Colombia. MSc in Plant Science, Université Paris Sud XI (Paris Saclay), PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology. Université d’Evry Val-dEssonne, France.
Non-scientific Interests: Cycling, Running, Volleyball, Movies, Trekking, Politics
Brief Bio: My interest in plant molecular biology began in Colombia as bachelor and fellow of the biotechnology unit at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). Then, I moved to France where I got my M.Sc in Plant Sciences. During this period, I knew Dr. Claire Lurin from INRAE that motivated me to join her Lab and pass the Ph. D. fellowship competition from the French Ministry of Education and Research. Basically, in Lurin´s lab, I focused on plant gene expression of mitochondria and plastid organelles genomes working with dual targeted Pentatricopeptide Repeats editing factors. After that, I did a first postdoc experience in the lab of Catherine Rameau and Sandrine Bonhomme at Jean-Pierre Bourgin Institute (IJPB-INRAE). In Rameau-Bonhomme´s Lab I worked in the strigolactone signaling pathway evolution and I became passionate about land plant evolution. Then, I moved to Sweden where I joined the lab of Eva Sundberg at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) working with reproductive organ evolution. In this period, I became member of VEDAS CII, a non-profit association for research and innovation. Currently, I am living in Timor-Leste where I move to support the career of my wife but also to foster new projects and collaborations. In the near future, I would like to explore subjects on land plant protein network evolution for which I have a particular interest.
