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Sara Rydman recently defended her PhD research on the genetic basis of chemical defence in aspen (photo: Anne Honsel).
Trees constantly have to balance growth with defence against attack. In her PhD research at Umeå University, Sara Rydman has identified several new genes linked to the formation of chemical defence compounds in aspen. The findings provide new insight into the genetic basis of chemical defence in trees.
Read more: New genes behind chemical defence in aspen identified
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Research in biology generates huge amounts of data and bioinformaticians have become more and more important to analyse and make sense of the results. Photo: Samuel Pettersson, Umeå University
Biology has entered a data-driven era. Advances in DNA sequencing and other technologies now generate vast amounts of biological data, far beyond what traditional methods can handle. To turn this flood of information into meaningful insights, bioinformaticians have become essential. This is why Umeå University is launching a new Master’s programme in Bioinformatics, starting in the autumn of 2026.
Read more: New Master’s programme tackles challenges in modern biology
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Anna Renström has applied different nitrogen sources to hybrid aspen trees to test their effect on wood formation (photo: Anne Honsel).
Different nitrogen fertilisers increase tree growth, but nitrate also specifically affects wood formation and wood properties. Anna Renström has shown this in her PhD thesis, offering new fundamental insights that can support more sustainable nitrogen use in forests.
Read more: Nitrate affects wood development, not just growth
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Totte Niittylä from UPSC (left), Jenny Hasselgren (second from right) and Fanny Sundelin (right), both from Agrisera, presented the prize to Junko Takahashi-Schmidt (second from right) at the traditional UPSC Christmas lunch (photo: Anne Honsel).
Each year, UPSC honours scientific achievements and contributions to improving the work environment with the UPSC Agrisera Prize. This year, the prize is awarded to Junko Takahashi Schmidt, manager of the Biopolymer Analytical Platform at UPSC. She is recognised for her long-standing commitment to the platform and UPSC during the past 15 years, as well as her dedication to patiently training researchers at all levels.
Read more: The UPSC Agrisera Prize 2025 is awarded to Junko Takahashi Schmidt
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Catherine Bellini combines research in Sweden and France to advance understanding of plant growth and adaptation. Photo: Mattias Pettersson, Umeå University
On Tuesday this week, Catherine Bellini was awarded the Roséns Linnaeus Prize in Botany by the Royal Physiographic Society of Lund. She received the prize for her research on adventitious roots and carbon allocation and her strong commitment to promoting international scientific collaboration. Catherine Bellini shares the award with Alexandre Antonelli, professor at the University of Gothenburg.
Read more: Catherine Bellini receives the Roséns Linnaeus Prize in Botany
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Hybrid aspen (right) uses the same genes to stop growth for winter as Arabidopsis (left) uses to trigger flowering - but in opposite ways. Photos: Marta Derba-Maceluch (left) and Bo Zhang (right)
Deciduous trees and annual plants rely on the same ancestral genes, but evolution has assigned them different tasks. Now researchers from Sweden and China show that aspen trees use flowering-related genes to stop growth as winter approaches - yet in the opposite way compared to annual plants.
Read more: Trees repurpose flowering gene toolkit to control winter growth stop
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At the prize ceremony in Stockholm (from left to right): Stefan Jansson, Carl Jan Granqvist (award presenter and board member, Måltidsakademien), Emil Åreng (winner of Best book, all categories) and Roland von Bothmer (editor and main author). Photo: Maria Nilsson
The book “Framtidens Matförsörjning” has been recognised as Swedish food literature (Svensk Måltidslitteratur) of 2025 in the category Essays. It explores how to secure sufficient and sustainable food for a growing global population and highlights the importance of scientific integrity. Co-author Stefan Jansson from Umeå University contributed expertise on the opportunities offered by modern genetics.
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Sonali Ranade received this year's KBC Employee of the Year Award (photo: Madhusree Mitra).
At the beginning of this year, Sonali Ranade launched a laughter club at UPSC. The aim was to bring colleagues together to practise laughter yoga, helping to improve wellbeing and reduce stress. Now, her initiative has been recognised with the KBC Employee of the Year Award 2025.
Read more: Sonali Ranade awarded KBC Employee of the Year 2025
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Stephan Wenkel, Professor at Department of Plant Physiology and group leader at UPSC, hopes that the Nobel Symposium in September next year will create new perspectives on how to approach basic and applied research in microproteins. Photo: Mattias Pettersson, Umeå University.
In September 2026, Stephan Wenkel will lead one of two Nobel Symposia hosted at Umeå University. The symposium will focus on microproteins and their potential applications in biotechnology – a topic with relevance beyond plant science.
Read more: Microproteins in focus at Nobel Symposium in Umeå 2026
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Léa Bogdziewiez has developed new tools that make it possible to study how plant cells attach to each other, a feature that enables trees to grow several meters tall (photo: Roxane Bogdziewiez).
How can a tree grow several meters tall? The answer lies in the ability of plant cells to attach to each other. This process has long been difficult to study, but PhD student Léa Bogdziewiez has developed methods that make it possible to study the process on a whole new level.
Read more: New tools to study how plant cells stick together