Caitlin Byrt

Caitlin Byrt is a Fellow at The Australian National University, affiliated with the Research School of Biology. She is a member of the Division of Plant Sciences and leads the Byrt Group, which focuses on engineering plant membrane proteins and solute transport to increase yield security. Byrt is a co-founder of Membrane Transporter Engineers (MTE), an organization that develops protein components for element and nutrient separation from complex solutions and for crop improvement. MTE designs and tests novel protein components and applies cutting-edge approaches to advance membrane separation technologies and improve plant productivity in challenging environments. She has received the Jan Anderson Award in 2023.

Caitlin S. Byrt is a researcher at The Australian National University with expertise in Membrane Biology and Plant Physiology. Her work focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which plants tolerate saline environments, particularly through the study of Na+ transporters and their role in Na+ exclusion. Byrt's research explores the physiological and molecular strategies that plants employ to manage salt stress, including the energy costs associated with salinity tolerance and the role of aquaporins in ion transport. Her studies also investigate the potential of C4 plants as biofuel feedstocks and the application of nanotechnology to enhance salt stress tolerance in crops.