G (Gabriela) Toledo Ortiz PhD

I am a molecular photobiologist trained in multiple institutions in photomorphogenesis and photoreceptors signal transduction. During my undergraduate/masters (UNAM-UC Berkeley Fellowship), I began under Prof. Willi Gruisssem’s (UC Berkeley) my training in chloroplast biochemistry, studying the role of chloroplastic RNA-binding proteins in organellar gene expression. My path in photobiology started during my Ph.D. in Prof. Peter Quail lab (UC Berkeley, Fulbright & UCMEXUS Fellowships), where I focused on the molecular mechanisms of phytochrome signaling including the characterization of the 1st family of transcription-factors interacting directly with the active photoreceptor, the bHLH-Phytochrome Interacting Factors. I reinforced my photobiology training with cell biology studies of the phytochromes in Prof. Akira Nagatani’s lab in Kyoto University (JSPS Postdoctoral Award), where I addressed the relevance of phytochrome subcellular localization on signaling, including the design of “chimeric phytochromes” with specific functional properties. In Dr. Manuel Rodriguez-Concepcion’s (CRAG-Barcelona, Juan de la Cierva & JAE-DOC Awards; EMBO ST, Huq Lab UT Austin), I developed my own project on light regulation of carotenogenesis, an area that integrated my expertise in chloroplast biology, isoprenoids and photobiology. My interest in novel mechanisms of light signal integration led me to explore computational modelling and systems biology. With a Marie Curie Career Integration Award, I joined Prof. Karen Halliday’s lab (University of Edinburgh) to conduct research on the cross-talk between light & temperature, combining molecular & modelling approaches. In 2015, I started my independent career as the 50th Anniversary Lecturer in Plant Science in Lancaster University, UK. Research in my group spans photobiology, chloroplast biology, plant physiology, cell biology, photosynthesis and aims to elucidate the molecular links behind the light photoreceptors environmental control of chloroplast metabolism, with focus on photosynthesis and MEP- isoprenoids. In addition, my lab has evolved to conduct trans-disciplinary natural-social science research and to collaborate with industry and other stake holders (farmers, traditional cooks, chefs, public) to address challenges on sustainable agricultural production, climate change and nutrition. Our program “Tomatoes for Tomorrow” englobes a trans-sectorial, multi-disciplinary team focusing on ancestral tomato agrodiversity and indigenous agricultural knowledge, to address plant metabolic adaptation to challenging environments. Tomatoes for Tomorrow builds links to ecosystems services, sustainable-development, socio-cultural adaptation, and the role of indigenous knowledge in achieving sustainability and providing with alternatives to tackle climate change and malnutrition. In 2022, my lab moved to the James Hutton Institute, Scotland (Research Group Leader). In 2024, I joined WUR as Associate Professor in Molecular Biology.