Recognizing Plant Direct authors: Hinako Matsuda

Hinako Matsuda, first author of Diurnal metabolic regulation of isoflavones and soyasaponins in soybean roots

Current Position: Master’s student at Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Japan

Education: BSc in Agricultural and Environmental Engineering from Kyoto University, Japan

Non-scientific Interests: sports, nature, cooking

Brief bio:  I investigated how heavy metal ions compete on the surface of the soil particles and how these ions are taken up by plants as my bachelor thesis. During this study, I found an interest in plant biology and changed my major into Plant Science in the Master’s degree program. I am interested in how plants secrete phytochemicals from their roots and how plants modulate the rhizosphere microbiome at spatiotemporal scales. Currently, I am continuing research on the isoflavones and soyasaponins of soybeans under the supervision of Dr. Akifumi Sugiyama and Prof. Kazufumi Yazaki and will continue to the Ph.D. program. I would like to join a lab abroad during my Ph.D. course.