The aim of our research is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of plant morphogenesis via understanding the process of cell shape acquisition and its associated signaling pathways. We are particularly focusing our studies on auxin transport and signaling, endomembrane trafficking and cell wall function in cell shape acquisition. Most of our work is established on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana but we also work on spruce, poplar and tomato. Have also a look on our external group homepage: http://srobertgroup.com.

Plants have acquired the capacity to grow continuously and adapt their architecture in response to endogenous or external signals, leading to essential morphological adjustments. Morphological changes can be mediated by cell shape acquisition, which is a very complex process in plants due to the presence of a cell wall, located outside the cell’s plasma membrane. The cell wall provides mechanical support and protection to the plant cell and thus needs to be fairly rigid, but also flexible to allow elongation and growth, participating in the determination of plant cell shape and architecture. The phytohormone auxin is an important growth regulator that stimulates cell elongation by inducing wall loosening factors. Importantly, local concentrations of auxin are thought to regulate most aspects of plant development2. The generation of an auxin pattern requires polar auxin transport, which is mediated by the PIN-FORMED (PIN) protein family of auxin efflux facilitators. Auxin action is enhanced by the activity of other classes of growth regulators3, highlighting the importance of small molecules in the control of plant architecture establishment.
Using cell biology, classical genetics and chemical genomics approaches we aim to i) discover new small molecules triggering endomembrane trafficking and signaling events regulating cell expansion, ii) dissect the associated endomembrane trafficking or signaling pathways, iii) understand the link between cell shape determination and cell wall composition.

CV Dr. Stephanie Robert
Education and academic degrees
- 2015 Docent, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- 2005 PhD Plant Science, Paris XI University-Orsay, France
- 2001 MSc Institut national agronomique Paris Grignon, France
Employments
- 2016: Associate Professor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- 2010: Assistant Professor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- 2007-2010: Post doc, PSB/VIB University of Ghent, Belgium
- 2005-2007: Post doc, University of California, Riverside, USA
Special Awards and Honours
- 2012 SLU early career grant
- 2019 The Sven and Ebba-Christina Hagberg foundation award