Salma Balazadeh

I am an Associate Professor at the Wiskunde en Natuurwetenschappen Instituut Biologie Leiden (IBL Plant Sciences & Natural Products) at Leiden University. Recently, I was a Group Leader of the cooperative research group 'Stress Control Networks' at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Molecular Plant Physiology in Germany.

My group at the MPI focuses on understanding the signaling mechanisms that trigger responses to environmental stress and unravelling the cellular processes through which plants counteract stress, with the aim to control plant tolerance to secure global food supply.

Being a member of AGYA gave me a chance not only to improve my domain and scientific skills, but provided a platform for developing and implementing interdisciplinary research at an international level which is highly desirable for the benefit of the society. I strongly believe that the membership of the AGYA offered me an opportunity in forwarding my scientific knowledge and achievements towards societal needs, e.g. by breeding stress-tolerant or high-yielding crop plants that grow in unfavourable environments.