2nd Asia-Oceania International Congress on Photosynthesis (AOICP)
Dr Maria Ermakova is a Lecturer and Group Leader in the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University, Australia.
Dr Ermakova is interested in unravelling molecular mechanisms and metabolic limitations of photosynthesis to enhance the light energy conversion efficiency and the rate of carbon assimilation in plants. She received a PhD from University of Turku, Finland, where she worked in the lab of Prof Eva-Mari Aro and focused on the discovery and characterisation of novel photoprotective pathways safeguarding photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation in cyanobacteria. Following her doctoral studies, Dr Ermakova conducted postdoctoral research within the Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis and the C4 Rice Project at the Australian National University, in the labs of Prof Susanne von Caemmerer and Prof Robert Furbank. Her research has paved the way to genetically re-design plants for improved photosynthesis and productivity, and she was awarded with the Peter Goldacre medal from the Australian Society of Plant Scientists. Dr Ermakova's Plant Energy and Biotechnology Research Group at Monash University aims to genetically engineer energy-efficient crops that are better equipped to thrive in future climates using biotechnological approaches and synthetic biology tools.