Angelina Gross spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow in Yasin Dagdas’ lab at the GMI, where she studied how environmental stimuli trigger autophagy in plants. Angelina will soon join the BOKU University in Vienna as a principal investigator. We sat down with Angelina to talk about her experience at the GMI and her expectations for her new position.  

How did you first come to the GMI?  

I did a PhD at the University of Graz, where I used yeast as a model to study how metabolic stress contributes to aging. During my PhD, I became interested in autophagy, the cellular cleanup mechanism that keeps cells running smoothly. To continue studying autophagy in the context of aging, I joined the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne as a postdoctoral fellow in 2018.  

During my postdoc, still working with yeast, I discovered a sensor mechanism that detects low intracellular phosphate levels and activates autophagy in response. I wanted to investigate whether similar sensors could be discovered in multicellular organisms, and plants were the perfect model organism. I knew that the GMI was one of the best destinations for doing plant molecular biology, so I joined as a postdoc in September of 2023.  

What did you work on while at the GMI?  

My research focused on exploring how environmental stimuli activate autophagy and what type of autophagic responses are triggered. In this context, I studied whether plants trigger autophagy by recruiting stress-sensors to the autophagic machinery.  

Was it easy to transition from working with yeast to working with plants?  

After years of working with unicellular yeast, switching to plants – which have many different tissues and cell types – was exciting, but also a big change. Experienced researchers at the GMI were immensely helpful, contributing their expertise on how to work with plants and quickly easing me into it. Additionally, the staff at the Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities provided invaluable support, including access to state-of-the-art equipment and training. This support allowed me to quickly apply my expertise in genetics to this new model. 

You are soon going to leave the GMI. Can you tell us more about your new position?  

I will be starting a Principal Investigator position at the Institute of Molecular Plant Biology of BOKU University, in Vienna. My research group will build upon my previous research, continuing to study the autophagic machinery’s plasticity in response to different types of stress. I'm especially excited to explore how the autophagic machinery recruits different sensors to integrate multiple concurrent stresses. 

How did your experiences at the GMI contribute to this next career step?  

Working at the GMI helped me expand my research into new and exciting model organisms, and I will continue working with them in my new position. Additionally, GMI group leaders provided invaluable support during the application process, helping me refine my proposals and prepare for interviews. Their mentorship was instrumental in developing and presenting an attractive research project, which ultimately helped me secure this position.  

Which key aspects of the GMI's philosophy will you carry with you?  

As a scientist, the biggest objective is always to advance knowledge. At the GMI I could experience that the best way to achieve that is through collaboration and teamwork. This means setting aside hierarchies and competition to work toward a shared objective.  

I am also deeply grateful for the collaborative environment at the Vienna BioCenter, where everyone is willing to offer feedback or contribute their expertise to your research. The social aspect of the campus, including retreats and sports activities, is also key to building friendships with scientists across the campus. This sense of community makes the GMI and the Vienna BioCenter truly special, and I hope to replicate that atmosphere at my new institution.