Gwen Swinnen

Gwen obtained her Master’s degree in Biochemistry and Biotechnology at Ghent University and completed her PhD in 2020 at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology. As a PhD student, she examined the jasmonate-related transcriptional control of steroidal glycoalkaloid metabolism and organ size in tomato under supervision of Prof. Alain Goossens and Dr. Laurens Pauwels. In July 2020, Gwen joined the lab of Prof. Sebastian Soyk at the University of Lausanne to study genetic interactions that affect flower production in tomato and to explain the molecular mechanisms behind them. Understanding genetic interactions can allow a better prediction of phenotypes from genotypes and can potentially be exploited for crop improvement.