Chile

Alexandra
Stoll

Applied microbiologia PGPR microbial ecology plant-bacteria interaction Bio-inputs Capacity building Family agriculture

Biography

I completed my Biology and PhD studies (Dr. rer. Nat., 2005) at the Faculty of Biology of the Technical University of Dresden (Germany), in close cooperation with the Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology of the University of Talca (Chile). During the doctorate he received the Scholarship from the State of Saxony. Since 2008, I am researcher at the Center for Advanced Studies in Arid Zones (CEAZA) and since 2012 I lead the laboratory of Applied Microbiology. My research is based on the concept of the plant holobiont (plant + associated microbiota). I seek to carry out holistic studies of plant and microbial ecology in natural and agricultural ecosystems of arid zones.

The laboratory incorporates basic and applied research focused on the identification and characterization of microorganisms and communities associated with roots, mechanisms involved in plant-bacteria interaction, and applications to agriculture in arid zones. I have participated in or led more than 15 scientific projects of national and international funds. I maintain collaborations with the University of Salento (Italy), the University of Giessen (Germany), the University of Leiden (Holland), the IIBCE Research Institute (Uruguay), the University of Río Cuarto (Argentina), and in Chile: U of Tarapacá, UCN Antofagasta, U. La Serena, CIDTA-UCN, U. La Frontera.

In addition, I organize the workshop "Native Microbial Biodiversity" at CEAZA for (inter)national postgraduate students, a platform for training and scientific discussion, which has already been carried out successfully 7 times (between 2013 and 2022).