SupervisoryTeam

Supervisor Photo

Jose Fernando Morán

Supervisor Details

Email: jose.moran@unavarra.es

Organization Type: University

Organization Name: Public University of Navarra (UPNA)

Short Biography: I am graduated in Biology (Biochemistry) at the UPV- EHU, Spain, and Ph. D. in Chemistry (UZ). My research lines include the nitrogen nutrition in plants, the signaling mediated by free radicals and antioxidants in response to abiotic stress, and its biotechnological applications. Among my research stand out, 1) the first demonstration that an environmental stress induce an oxidative stress (Moran et al., 1994; 540 citations), 2) the discovery that the urea cycle, a very important metabolic cycle in animals and lower eukaryotes, is relevant In plants also (Urra et al., 2022), and 3) and the revelation that the aldoximes are a new family of NO donors (European patent application), which carry out essential signalling functions in plants (Lopez-Gómez and Buezo et al., 2023. Mol. Plant; Accepted with minor revision). I have leaded 4 (-3 years) projects for the Spanish Ministry, plus 1 more ongoing. I leaded several projects with private companies.

Co-Supervisor Photo

Roberto Baigorri Ekisoain

Co-Supervisor Details

Email: roberto.baigorri@tervalis.com

Organization Type: Non-academic institution

Organization Name: FERTINAGRO BIOTECH, Tajonar, Spain

Short Biography: Laboratory Technician (1990); Bachelor in Applied Chemistry (1992) and in Chemistry at the University of Navarra, Spain (2001); PhD in "Chemical and Structural Study in Humic Substances" (2007). Currently, Senior Researcher at the R&D Department of FERTINAGRO BIOTECH, Tajonar, Spain, since 2020. He served as a Senior Researcher in the R&D Department of TIMAC AGRO-Roullier Group in Lodosa, Spain, since 2005. He has authored or co-authoring 2 book chapters, publishing over 50 peer-reviewed papers, presenting at more than 40 conferences, holding 3 patents, and co-supervising a PhD. He participated in 25 European, Spanish, or regional research projects. He keeps active collaborative work with the Public University of Navarra and with the Spanish CSIC. His research interests involve the study of Humic substance structure and chemistry, interactions between humic substances and plants. he also focuses on improving agronomy fertilizers, and in Soil chemistry and Soil-microbiome interactions.

Added Value: The availability of a company like Fertinagro adds a great value to the project, as 1) it will help to identify the key points to develop and transfe the knowledge we want to transfer (putrescine and aldoximes). Likewise, 2) it is a company with the capacity to develop and transfer investigations, with the hability to produce and integrate new products, and with a distribution network. The company has laboratories in Spain and Navarra, and the director Roberto Baigorri is a professional with a great research trajectory as he has demonstrated with patents and scientific publications. We hope that 3) this enterprise will contribute in an important way to the doctoral candidate's training and to broaden the basic research view. Lastly, 4) we hope to build together with this company and other European partners a European project proposal to further develop the proposal that we present here and which is financed in part by a project of excellence of the ministry in the 2022 (currently ongoing during the period Sept. 1st, 2023-2026).

Other Co-Supervisor Photo

Esther M. González Garcia

Other Co-Supervisor

Email: esther.gonzalez@unavarra.es

Organization Type: University

Organization Name: Public University of Navarra (UPNA)

Short Biography: Esther M. González is a Professor of Plant Physiology in the Department of Science at the Public University of Navarra (Pamplona, Spain). She earned her BSc in Agrobiology from the University of La Laguna (Canary Islands, Spain) and a PhD in Biology from the School of Agricultural Engineering and Biosciences at the Public University of Navarra. Her research focuses on drought stress responses in legume crops, with a particular emphasis on underground tissues such as nodules and roots. She has authored 64 publications, including 21 published in the last decade in Q1-ranked journals within the Plant Sciences and Agronomy category of the Journal Citation Reports (JCR). Her bibliometric record includes 64 research publications (SCI) and book chapters, 2,678 citations, and an H-index of 29. She is a regular reviewer for several prestigious Plant Science and Agronomy journals and actively participates in conferences on Plant Physiology and Plant Responses to Abiotic Stress, promoting the involvement of doctoral students. Throughout her academic career, she has contributed as a researcher to projects funded by regional, national, and European institutions. In the framework of these projects, she has supervised three PhD theses in the past ten years, all awarded cum laude: Dr. Seminario (2017), Project Assistant at Limagrain Ibérica; Dr. Castañeda (2021), Freelance professional in Nutrition and Healthcare; and Dr. Echeverría (2022), Secondary School Educator. She is currently supervising an international cooperation doctoral thesis funded by the Carolina Foundation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain (Y. Santana). She currently leads the university chair on synthetic biology, promoting teaching and research activities in this field. She also participates in the activities of the Bardenas Reales Chair, with a special focus on plant-microorganism interactions in semi-arid soils within agroecosystems.

ResearchGroup

Description: The research group Plant Physiology and Agrobiology at the Public University of Navarra (UPNA) consists of 9 permanent researchers (4 Full Professors, 3 Associate Professors-or similar- and 2 Ramon y Cajal fellows). Also, 6 postdoctoral associates (recipients of Juan de la Cierva, European Programmes, and others) together with PhD students (7-8 funded by different competitive programs) and one permanent technician, which means a group slightly above 20 people. The group includes 2 laboratories at the School of Agricultural Engineering and Biosciences, also another lab. in the nearby building El Sario where high Irradiance plant growth chambers are located, and another laboratory in the Institute of Agrobiotechnology building at Mutilva. Several equipments and facilities are available as chamber for in vitro tissue and plant culture, spectrophotometers, HPLC-UV-Vis (Diode array), HPLC-ionic, spectrofluorimeter (liquid), controlled atmosphere chamber, capillary electrophoresis equipment, lyophilizers, gel electrophoresis systems, conventional and real-time PCR for quantifications (qRT-PCR), optical and fluorescence microscopes.

ResearchLine

Description: The current challenge of agriculture is to increase the crop production in a sustainable way, and safeguarding the quality of soil and water resources, while facing the effects of climate change. The use of ammonium-based fertilization combined with nitrification inhibitors can be a valuable alternative to the environmental problems of the lixiviation and loses of nitrate-based fertilization, and to reduce the greenhouse N-oxide gases emission. However, ammonium is yet stressful to many crops and it limits the productivity. Also, the water deficit is a strong limiting condition for the plant productivity in the world. Recently, we showed that early application of the polyamine putrescine to Medicago truncatula plants under ammonium nutrition signal them to tolerate well the ammonium stress, while Putrescine was known to help plants under water deficit. We have also demonstrated that aldoximes signal, by producing nitric oxide, the formation of new lateral roots which may help tolerate water deficit. The knowledge of signaling actions of putrescine and oximes will provide important tools to be used in agriculture to develop improved N fertilization and drought resistant strategies.

Others

Description: The proposed line of research is based on 2 high impact research articles. The 1st article is published in the Journal of experimental Botany (Urra et al., 2022) in which we found a fundamental solution to tolerate ammonium stress (Putrescine); and in a 2nd article accepted in the journal Molecular Plant (López- Gómez and Buezo et al., 2023), which is No. 1 in the area of plant biology with a very high impact factor of 27.5. In this second work, among other results, we have found the importance of a new group of molecules (Aldoximes), as signaling molecules in plants and also in animals, whose uses have been registered through a European patent application. Urra M, Buezo J, Royo B, Cornejo A, López-Gómez P, Cerdán D, Esteban R, Martínez-Merino V, Gogorcena Y, Tavladoraki P, Moran JF*. The importance of the urea cycle and its relationships to polyamine metabolism during ammonium stress in Medicago truncatula. Journal of Experimental Botany (2022) https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erac235. Indications of quality. Position 18 out of 238 in the Plant Sciences category (2022). Impact 6.2. First decile. López-Gómez P; Buezo J; … Martínez-Merino V*; Moran JF*. An oxidative pathway to nitric oxide production in plants. Accepted with minor revision. Molecular Plant. (2023). Position 1 of 238 in the Plant Sciences category (2023). Impact 27.5. First decile Title of the Patent application: Aldoximes as nitric oxide donors, and their uses as plant architecture modifiers and in therapy. INVENTORS: Moran Juez, JF, Buezo Bravo, J; López- Gómez, P; Cornejo Ibergallartu, A; Merino Martínez, V; Urra Rodríguez, M; Esteban Terradillos, R; Chamizo Ampudia, A; Encio Martínez, IJ; Lasa Uzkudun I Owners: Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA)/Universidad del País Vasco (UPV- EHU)/Universidad de León (UniLeon) Application #: PCT/EP2023/071478 Date of application: August 2nd, de 2023 European Patent Office

CareerDevelopment

Objectives

  • Future postdoc employment at the University
  • Increased employability in the non-academic sector
  • International mobility
  • Building collaborative networks
  • Trainings to enhance career opportunities
  • Application of postdoctoral grants (MSCA, Juan de la Cierva, etc.)
  • Application for projects and funding (Horizon Europe, national plans, etc.)
  • Involvement in teaching, supervision, or mentoring

Other Objectives: Supervision of undergraduated and master Sci students thesis

Expected Outputs

  • PhD defense
  • Application of grants (MSCA, Juan de la Cierva, etc.)
  • Publication of articles
  • Developing new products, solutions, or services
  • Attendance to international conferences

Other Outputs: Supervision of undergraduate and master Sci thesis. At least 2-4 seminars as speaker

Training Skills

  • Project Management
  • Time Management
  • Grant Writing
  • Communication to the civil society and public engagement
  • Open Science
  • Gender and diversity dimension of research
  • Ethics and Research Integrity
  • Teaching
  • Supervision
  • Policy making, such as Green Deal and sustainable practices
  • Intellectual Property
  • Research Valorization
  • Leadership
  • Training for job interviews, CV writing
  • Advanced Digital Skills
  • Spanish
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