IPK

Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics
and Crop Plant Research

The Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) is a non-profit research institution and a member of the Leibniz Association. IPK is one of the world’s leading institutions in the field of plant genetics and crop science. Its research programme and services contribute very substantially to conserving, exploring and exploiting crop diversity.

Its research goals are driven by the need to ensure efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly supply of food, feed, raw materials and energy, thereby addressing major global challenges. The work of IPK’s four scientific departments is focused on revealing the underlying principles of evolution, development, performance, and adaptation in crop plants. On this basis, it seeks innovative solutions in the fields of scientifically-based crop plant germplasm conservation and exploitation, aiming to improve productivity and resource use efficiency and to enhance the sustainability of plant-based production.

A unique feature of the institute is the close relationship enjoyed between its interdisciplinary and internationally focused research teams working within an ultramodern research infrastructure, especially in terms of automated high throughput plant phenotyping and IT infrastructure, and the genetic diversity conservation activity carried out in one of the world’s longest established and largest ex-situ gene banks.

Website

Researchers.

Dr. Kerstin Neumann

  • Biologist, Plant phenomics and plant genetic resources
  • Application of precision phenotyping for exploring abiotic stress tolerance
  • Experimental design, statistical analysis of phenotypic data, quantitative genetics
  • Mobility Manager, leader WP3, lectures at workshops, training schools and progress meetings, supervision of scientific short term missions to IPK (phenotyping)

Madita Lauterberg

  • Agrigenomics, quantitative genetics
  • Precision phenotyping for exploring abiotic stress tolerance
  • Focus on plant genetic resources of wheat and chickpea
  • Organize workshops and scientific short term missions and progress meetings at IPK side

Dr. Stephan Weise

  • Bioinformatician focussing on conceptual design and implementation of information systems
  • Integration and cross-domain analysis of data (passport, genetic and phenotypic data)
  • Managing the European Search Catalogue for Plant Genetic Resources
  • Lectures at workshops, training schools and progress meetings, supervision of scientific short term missions to IPK (genebank, data management)

Dr. Jedrzej Szymanski

  • Systems biologist, plant network analysis and modelling, data management
  • Multivariate statistics, graph theory, deep learning, to integrate multimodal ‘omic and sensor data
  • Molecular mechanisms for emergence of quality traits in crops
  • Lectures at workshops, training schools and progress meetings, supervision of scientific short term missions to IPK (network analysis and modelling)

Dr. Evgeny Gladilin​

  • Biophysicist and computer scientist, Image anaylsis (segmentation, registration, pattern recognition and classification, computational modelling, description of relevant plant structures)
  • Development of advanced algorithms and an integrative software environment for traits from multimodal and multidimensional image data
  • Lectures at workshops, training schools and progress meetings, supervision of scientific short term missions to IPK (image analysis and data integration)

Dr. Jochen Kumlehn

  • Biologist, Plant reproductive biology
  • Development of enabling technologies (cell culture and manipulation, haploid technology, genetic engineering, site-directed genome modification)
  • Plant-pathogen interaction
  • Lectures at workshops, training schools and progress meetings, supervision of scientific short term missions to IPK (genome editing)

Researchers

The Consortium.

CBQF

Universidade Católica Portuguesa

INRAE

The French National Institute for Agricultural Research

WR

Wageningen University and Wageningen Research

IPK

Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research