Affiliation: University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences

C₄ plants possess specialized leaf anatomy, termed ‘Kranz’ anatomy. Enlarged bundle-sheath (BS) cells with numerous chloroplasts are two critical traits associated with the evolution of C₄ leaf anatomy. Dr. Billakurthi’s present research is focused on dissecting the genetic regulators that specify C₃ vs C₄ BS anatomy using the monocot model plant Oryza sativa (Rice). Before joining the University of Cambridge, she completed her PhD at Heinrich Heine University, Germany. Her PhD thesis was about finding gene regulatory networks that determine C₄ BS anatomy by forward genetic and reverse genetic approaches.