Regular biography
Prof. Dr. Kirsten Bomblies is a Full Professor at the Department of Biology, ETH Zurich. Her research focuses on Plant Evolutionary Genetics, with an emphasis on understanding the molecular and mechanistic basis of how adaptive evolution can re-establish fertility and core cellular functions after genome duplication. Her work explores challenges such as meiosis, pollen tube growth, and chromatin architecture in polyploid lineages. She uses genetics, molecular biology, and cytology to study these phenomena, particularly in the natural tetraploid lineage of Arabidopsis arenosa. Her research has implications for crop improvement and understanding the evolution of genome complexity in plants.
Scholar-generated biography
Kirsten Bomblies is a researcher at ETH Zürich with expertise in genomics, genetics, meiosis, polyploidy, and plant biology. Her work explores the genetic mechanisms underlying plant evolution, focusing on meiotic adaptation to genome duplication and the role of autoimmune responses in speciation. She investigates how polyploidy influences genetic diversity and speciation, using model organisms like Arabidopsis and maize. Her research also examines the genetic architecture of flowering-time variation and the interaction of key regulatory genes in floral development. Bomblies' studies highlight the significance of hybrid necrosis and genetic incompatibility in plant species divergence.