Affiliation: Universitá degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Bioscienze

Mara Cucinotta has focused her research on the molecular basis of differentiation and development of reproductive structures in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. She obtained a Doctoral degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Milan (2011-2015), where she worked on the role of the hormones auxin and cytokinins in ovule development. She completed her Masters at Utrecht University and her graduation at Langebio-CINVESTAV, Mexico. Mara currently works as a junior tenure track at the University of Milan, lecturing on Plant Developmental Biology. Her more recent research activities are focused on the molecular mechanism controlling the process of megasporogenesis and the switch between sexual and asexual reproduction in Apomictic species.