MPIPZ welcomes Prof. Dr. Rosa Lozano-Durán as new director
The plant scientist Rosa Lozano-Durán has accepted the appointment as director of the new Department of Plant Virology.
Rosa Lozano-Durán is interested in understanding how viruses infect and manipulate plant cells and ultimately cause disease.
Her research focuses on the molecular-level interactions between plant viruses and their hosts, aiming to decipher the strategies viruses use to establish successful infections and ensure their own replication.
A particular focus is on geminiviruses, a widespread family of insect-transmitted DNA viruses that affect many important crops.
By studying how these viruses reprogram plant cells and evade plant defences, the new department seeks to generate knowledge that will underpin future strategies for protecting crops from viral diseases.
“I am truly excited to join the vibrant community at the MPI for Plant Breeding Research. In this exceptional scientific environment, the Department of Plant Virology will bring together molecular biology, plant immunity, viral evolution, and insect vector biology to uncover how plant viruses manipulate their hosts, adapt, and spread — and how plants respond to these threats. Our ultimate goal is to generate fundamental knowledge, advance the field through collaboration and the development of new resources, and train the next generation of scientists to tackle viral challenges in agriculture and beyond.”
Rosa Lozano-Durán
About Rosa Lozano-Durán
Rosa studied Biology at the University of Málaga (Spain), where she also completed her PhD.
Following a postdoctoral position at the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich (UK), she established her independent research group at the Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology (China) in 2015.
In 2021, she joined the Center for Molecular Plant Biology (ZMBP) at the University of Tübingen.
We are delighted to welcome Rosa Lozano-Durán to the MPIPZ and look forward to the exciting research and new perspectives she will bring to our scientific community.