Petra Bleeker

Associate Professor at the department of Plant Physiology, Swammerdam Institute at teh UVA. My research focuses on how plants defend themselves against pest insects by combining metabolomics, transcriptomics and genomics with detailed phenotyping. I dissects the specialised metabolites and genetic pathways that underlie plant-insect interactions. Using tomato and pest insects like whitefly and thrips as model systems, I aim to identify natural resistance in wild tomato relatives and uncover how plant-produced volatiles and other metabolites can repel or intoxicate herbivorous insects. I have experience in research in the Dutch vegetable breeding industry and my work aims to support the development of more sustainable, insect-resistant crop varieties.