Our KIT team

Debora grew up near Umag, Croatia. She became interested in plant biology during her IB project on micropropagation of poplar hybrids at the UWCAd (IT). She then studied Biology and Functional Genomics at the University of Trieste (IT), where she investigated the Self Incompatibility response in coffee in Alberto Pallavicini’s lab. Determined to explore the genetic potential of the complex bread wheat genome, she joined Simon Griffiths’s lab in 2006. Her PhD was a joint project between the JIC and NIAB, and was awarded by the University of East Anglia (UK) in Sept 2010. After that, she moved to the electrifying team of Ted Farmer at UNIL (CH). There, in addition to her postdoc work on Arabidopsis wound responses and root growth, she was appointed junior lecturer in Plant Molecular Biology. In Feb 2016, Debora started her own research group at the Leibniz-Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) in Halle (DE), and has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant in 2023. She joined the KIT in 2026 as Professor in Applied Plant Sciences.

Nora grew up near the Lake of Constance. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Applied Biology and focused on Microbiology, Cell Biology, and Molecular Biology during her Master's program at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Before joining the Gasperini Lab, she worked with Cyanobacteria. She has been hands-on in helping build and establish the Gasperini Lab at KIT.

Nina grew up in the region of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, Germany. She studied at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), obtaining both her BSc and MSc degrees in general biology. She started her lab technician career in the „JKIP- General Botany“ group, where she gained expertise in molecular biology, biochemistry and lab management. She has been part of the Gasperini Lab since its launch, and is enjoying getting the lab up and running.

Andreas grew up in Stuttgart, Germany. He developed his interest in biology while attending the biotechnology-focused program at the Käthe-Kollwitz-Schule in Esslingen. After his school time, he studied Biology at the Ludwig-Maximilian-University of Munich, where he obtained his Bachelor's degree with a focus on zoology in the lab of J. Matthias Starck. Following an one-year stay in Canada, he completed his Master's degree in the lab of Andreas Hiltbrunner at the Albert-Ludwig-University of Freiburg, during which his scientific interests shifted from zoology towards plant biology. In 2018, he began his PhD in the research group of Debora Gasperini at the Leibniz-Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) in Halle (Saale), where he investigated the cell type-specific regulation of jasmonate signalling in Arabidopsis thaliana. Following the defense of his dissertation in August 2024, he briefly worked as a secondary school teacher before joining the research group of Steffen Abel at the IPB Halle as a postdoctoral researcher. Following Debora Gasperini's appointment as Professor at KIT, he joined the team as microscopy and jasmonate expert.