Our team

Rubén Alcázar (Principal Investigator) is Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona (UB)

Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the UB in 1999.  Ph.D. in Plant Biology (2004) at the UB. Postdoctoral researcher at UB (2004-2005). Senior postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (Cologne, Germany) (2006-2012) working in labs of Prof. Jane E. Parker  and Prof. Maarten Koornneef . Ramón y Cajal researcher at the UB (2012-2017). Marie Curie Career Integration Grant holder (2012-2016). Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona (2017-nowadays). Treasurer of the Spanish Society of Plant Biology (SEBP) (2021-2025). Habilitation to full professor (2024). At the University, I teach Plant Physiology (coordinator), Cell Biology, Quantitative genetics, Plant Biotechnology and Specialized Metabolism of Plants. 

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Kostadin E. Atanasov is tenure-track Lecturer and Researcher at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona (UB), where he teaches and conducts research in the field of Plant Molecular Biotechnology. He earned his PhD in Biotechnology from UB in 2019, following a Master’s in Molecular Biotechnology (2012) and a Degree in Biology (2011). Kosta has held research positions at the Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), and the Leitat Technological Center. His work has contributed to national and European projects focused on plant-microbe interactions, metabolic engineering, and sustainable agricultural practices. Kosta is an active member of the steering board of the Polyamines Lab.

Jingwen Cui comes from China. She investigates how polyamines (such as putrescine and spermine) modulate cell wall composition and its connection to plant defense signaling. Her work also explores polyamine interactions with necrotrophic fungal pathogens. Using molecular biology and metabolomics approaches, she studies how these compounds regulate local and systemic defense responses, with potential applications in sustainable agriculture as novel priming agents for disease resistance.

Lucía Díaz-Narváez comes from Colombia. She is biotechnologist working in the development of new bacteria-based plant biostimulants for abiotic stress (drought, cold/freezing and salinity) protection in tomato and rapeseed.

Jiaqi Zhao comes from China. She earned both the Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Viticulture and Enology - from Gansu Agricultural University and Northwest A&F University, respectively. Her research focuses on understanding how polyamines contribute to plant defense responses, particularly in ETI-triggered systemic acquired resistance (SAR).

Milena Zumsteg comes from Chile. She is Biochemist graduated from the University of Concepción (Chile) with a master's degree in Molecular Biotechnology from the University of Barcelona. She is working in polyamine signaling, cell death and plant immune modulation. Interested in plant physiology, phytopathology, and the development of biotechnological solutions. Motivated by generating innovative tools that contribute to the advancement of these fields, with a focus on sustainability and improving plant health.