Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology

The new Vienna BioCenter Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Program (VIP³) is here! We have 8 fully-funded positions for scientists with a PhD in biology, chemistry, physics, bioinformatics etc.

The call is open!

More information: training.vbc.ac.at/post-docs/vi...

#VBCPostDoc

Apply now! @vbcscitraining.bsky.social offers more than 25 fully-funded PhD positions! GMI group leaders are also recruiting new students.

Interested in the most recent developments in plant science? Join the Mendel Early Career Symposium on May 21-22 at the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social to exchange with experts about their science and career trajectories. Register by March 13th for a talk. More here: www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/news-eve...

Borrowing plants’ recycling tricks to treat Parkinson’s disease Newly identified autophagy receptor in liverworts found to recycle membraneless organelles – and to send Parkinson’s linked alpha-synuclein for degradation in human neurons. This was discovered by pla...

Read more about the research here: www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...

This collaboration with the @maxperutzlabs.ac.at located at the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social, the researchers demonstrate how this protein degradation process in plants could pave the way for new therapeutic solutions. The study is now published in Developmental Cell. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.de...

While the human version of this protein binds alpha-synuclein but cannot degrade it, the plant version successfully sends it for degradation.

Remarkably, the protein – named MpEDC4 – discovered by @plantophagy.bsky.social and PhD student Alibek Abdrakhmanov does more than help plants recycle unneeded cell components; it also breaks down alpha-synuclein, a neurodegenerative protein involved in Parkinson’s disease.

New paper! Research led by the Dagdas lab at the GMI of the @oeaw.bsky.social has identified a selective autophagy receptor in liverwort Marchantia polymorpha involved in degrading membraneless organelles.

Technical Assistant (m/w/d): imba.onlyfy.jobs/job/krjlzt9r

ElektrotechnikerIn (m/w/d): imba.onlyfy.jobs/job/8fu89yhr

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We are hiring! Join the vibrant community at the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social as a Technical Assistant, ElektrotechnikerIn, or HR Team Assistant. Follow the links for more information and to apply!

Congratulations to all researchers involved in this exciting work. Read the published study here: nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

The collaborative team has made the methods and Spirodela strain available to researchers. They also developed a genome browser (agxu.uni-mainz.de/SP162/) where scientists can design components for CRISPR tools to introduce mutations and manipulate gene expression.

Duckweeds are an important plant research model but have been challenging to modify genetically. A study published in @newphyt.bsky.social by the Marí-Ordóñez group at the GMI, presents a new and highly reproducible method for genetic transformation in the duckweed species Spirodela polyrhiza.

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My group at @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social is offering a post-doctoral position (4 years). We look for a structural biologist with experience in Cryo-EM/Cryo-ET to investigate the mechanisms of host invasion by pathogenic fungi. Deadline February 28th!
uni-tuebingen.de/universitaet...

Mendel Early Career Symposium 2026 Register below for the 2026 Mendel Early Career Symposium21-22 May 2026 at the Campus-Vienna-Biocenter, AUSTRIA   Please select the events you would like to attend and add them to the cart in order ...

Interested in giving a talk? Submit your abstract by 13 March to be considered.

More Information about the event and registration here: events.vbc.ac.at/gmi_events/m...

#Mendel_ECR_26 #WhereKnowledgeGrows

In addition to keynote lectures by @emmanuellebayer.bsky.social and @nkwhiteman.bsky.social, the symposium features a How-"Do-You-Do-It?" workshop on ChimeraX and Alphafold. A networking dinner at the Vienna Rathauskeller will follow, kindly supported by the City of Vienna.

Registration is now open! The 4th edition of the Mendel Early Career Symposium will take place on 21-22 May at the GMI, part of the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social. This two-day event brings together researchers across career stages to discuss the latest research in all areas of plant science.

The 11th Vienna Ball of Sciences is this Saturday at Vienna City Hall! This elegant evening will be a celebration of scientific knowledge. Don’t miss the GMI photo wall a photo with Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics and namesake of the GMI. More:https://www.wissenschaftsball.at/en/

How Plants Survive Heat: New Protein for Stress Resistance Discovered Researchers identify a new key protein involved in removing damaged proteins in plants. This could help make plants more resilient in the face of climate change.

Finally, research led by @victorsmh6.bsky.social, @marintianava.bsky.social & Anita Bianchi from the Dagdas lab identified CESAR, a key player in plant stress response via selective autophagy. The study was published in Developmental Cell. www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...

Epigenetics: How plants keep genes silent Scientists at the Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences have discovered a new piece in the puzzle of how plants keep epigenetic information stable across generations. Their...

Work published in Nature Plants and led by Pierre Bourguet from the Berger lab revealed the important role of protein CDCA7 in the maintenance of epigenetic markers in the plant genome. www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...

Plant Power: Electrical Forces Bring Ancient Plant Proteins Back to Life Researchers at the Gregor Mendel Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences have uncovered how proteins in plants can acquire new functions through subtle electrostatic changes. Their findings, pub...

Research led by @delaconcepcionjc.bsky.social from the Dagdas group discovered that electrostatic changes cause plant protein Exo70 to break from its original complex and take on new functions in the cell. The study was published in Nature Plants. www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...

Key regulator of plant branching architecture identified Plants grow in precise 3D patterns, shaped by active stem cells in regions called meristems. Researchers in Liam Dolan's lab at the Gregor Mendel Institute have identified the gene CYP78E1 as a key re...

Work led by Victoria Spencer from the Dolan lab, published in Current Biology, identified the role of the CYP78E1 gene in modifying branching growth patterns in Marchantia, particularly in response to changing light conditions. www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...

Duckweed differentially marks old and new transposons Transposons, so-called jumping genes, are a threat to genomes, so plants work hard to prevent them from mobilizing and re-inserting into the genome. Spirodela polyrhiza, the most ancient member of the...

Research in Genome Research led by Rodolphe Dombey & Daniel Buendía-Ávila from the Ordóñez group, challenged the understanding maintenance of epigenetic modifications, by identifying how duckweed regulates transposons without DNA methylation. www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...

Discovering the genetics of climate adaptation Understanding how plants adapt to different environments is crucial for addressing climate change. A new study by the groups of Liam Dolan and Frédéric Berger at the Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI) of M...

A study conducted by @shuangyangwu.bsky.social from the Dolan lab with the Berger lab, combined population genetics & climate data to identify genetic variants underlying climate adaptation in Marchantia polymorpha. The work was published in Current Biology. www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...

Balancing the pressure: how plant cells protect their vacuoles Water-filled vacuoles provide the inner pressure plant cells need for structural support. However, damage to the plant’s cell wall risks vacuole rupture and cell death. The Dagdas group discovered a n...

Research by @josejulian.bsky.social, Peng Gao & Alessia Del Chiaro from the Dagdas group was published in Nature Plants. They discovered that molecule ATG8 protects plant cells from stress by conjugating with vacuoles upon damage to the cell wall. www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...

This holiday season, the GMI reflects on a successful 2025 with a look back on key milestones and achievements.

In 2025, researchers at the GMI advanced fundamental knowledge of plant adaptation and evolution. Here are some of the research highlights:

Happy New Year from the GMI! We look forward to another exciting and successful year filled with scientific innovation, collaboration, and discovery. Wishing you a happy and healthy start to 2026!

🎉Congratulations to these researchers on their accomplishments! We look forward to celebrating the continued success of our researchers in 2026!