Recognizing Plant Physiology first authors: Bara Altartouri

Bara Altartouri , first author of Pectin chemistry and cellulose crystallinity govern pavement cell morphogenesis in a multi-step mechanism

Current Position: PhD candidate at the University of Montreal, Canada

Education: Master’s degree in horticultural genetics and biotechnology, MAICh institute, Greece

Non-Scientific Interests: travelling, cooking, and soccer

Brief Bio: During my undergraduate studies in the department of Biology at Hebron University, I became fascinated by plant science courses in general and plant physiology in particular. I, therefore, decided to embark on graduate studies in the horticultural genetics and biotechnology programme at the MAICh Institute in Greece. While working toward my master’s degree under the supervision of Dr. Panagiotis Kalaitzis, I investigated the early response of tomato to salinity stress by studying gene expression levels and reflectance spectroscopy of the leaf. After obtaining my Master’s degree, I joined the Laboratory of Cell Biology and Cytomechanics at the University of Montreal for PhD studies under the supervision of Prof Anja Geitmann (now at McGill University). My research focused on cell development, specifically the morphogenesis of epidermal pavement cells. I developed a keen interest in light microscopies during my PhD and I developed expertise in state-of-the-art imaging, cell biology and genetics approaches to establish a solid link between experimental cell mechanics and functional cell biology/genetics.