I am a Junior Group Leader at the Institute of Natural Resources and Agribiology (CSIC), in the group of Plant-Microbe Interactions.

I am interested in the transduction pathways underlying multitrophic interactions between belowground and aboveground plant-associated organisms. My research focuses on the molecular and chemical mechanisms governing the effect of root associated symbionts on plant interactions with other community members at different trophic levels. In my research, I use Solanum lycopersicum and Solanum dulcamara as crop and wild model plants respectively, to study the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal and Trichoderma fungi on the interaction of plants with aboveground and belowground herbivorous at several trophic levels, including herbivorous insects, natural enemies of herbivorous and pollinators. I am also interested on how root parasitic nematodes and shoot herbivorous reciprocally interact via induced plant responses, and how do plants manage to defend themselves against diverse enemies. I take a multidisciplinary approach by integrating transcriptomics and metabolomics, as well as manipulative experiments to study these interactions.

My ultimate goal is to understand how root associated organisms determine plant-insect dynamics and distribution in natural and agricultural ecosystems, and to contribute to a sustainable agricultural production.