Recognizing Plant Physiology first authors: Batthula Vijaya Lakshmi Vadde

Batthula Vijaya Lakshmi Vadde, first author of The TCP4 transcription factor directly activates TRICHOMELESS1 and 2 and suppresses trichome initiation

Current Position:Postdoctoral Associate, Adrienne Roeder’s Lab, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA

Education: PhD in Plant Developmental Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

Non-scientific Interests: reading (auto)biographies, photography (nature, portrait, and long exposure), swimming, travelling and exploring new places and new cultures

Brief biography: After my Master’s degree in molecular microbiology, I stumbled into the laboratory of Utpal Nath, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, to do my PhD. Even though I grew up in family with an agricultural background, it was not until my PhD that I became really fascinated with plants. It was merely because of Utpal’s teaching and his understanding of developmental biology, along with the immensely interactive research community at IISc, focusing research on various aspects of life sciences. Even though initially it took a bit of time, soon I was intrigued by one of the most studied and still enigmatic patterning mechanisms in plant development i.e., trichome development. With the help of a few of my colleagues, I was able to connect the TCP proteins, which I consider as the most celebrated proteins in the leaf development, with trichome development. From thereon, it was a pure joy of dwelling in the subject and digging deeper into it with the help of an amazing group that we had in the lab. After my PhD, I moved to Adrienne’s lab as a postdoctoral associate, continuing and exploring my ever-growing interest in the field of developmental biology. I am hoping to learn and contribute positively to the field of developmental biology with the help of great mentors and colleagues.