Philipp Zerbe

Philipp Zerbe is an Associate Professor in the Plant Biology Department at the University of California-Davis. He received a diploma in Biology and a Ph.D in Plant Physiology from Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany.

During Dr. Zerbe’s training he developed a keen interest in the diversity, evolution and function of plant specialized metabolism. As a graduate student (2004-2007) in Dr. Elmar Weiler's lab at the Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany) he focused on protein structure-function studies of key enzymes involved in plant jasmonate biosynthesis. He then moved to DR. Joerg Bohlmann's lab at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, where he studied the biosynthesis and mechanisms of specialized terpenoid metabolites with functions in the defense of coniferous forest tress against insect pests and fungal pathogens.

In 2014, Dr.Zerbe was recruited as faculty at the University of California-Davis. His research program combines functional genomics, metabolomics and protein biochemical approaches to study the biosynthesis, regulation, and function of terpenoid metabolism in food, bioenergy and medicinal plants with the goal to better understand the role of these metabolites in plant-environment interactions and to develop innovative strategies for crop improvement and bioproduct synthesis. In recognition of his work, Dr. Zerbe received a 2015 Arthur Neish Young Investigator Award and a 2016 Hellman Young Investigator Fellowship.