During my Ph.D. studies I investigated the role of phytohormone cytokinin in development of primary vascular tissue in Arabidopsis root. I carried out the work in Ykä Helariutta lab (Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland) and I obtained the degree in 2006.
After the Ph.D. I conducted postdoctoral studies in Ben Scheres lab (2006-2009, Utrecht University, the Netherlands). I examined growth dynamics of Arabidopsis root meristem and we discovered a mechanism how instructive gradient of stem cell factor PLETHORA is formed and maintained.
After my postdoctoral training, I returned to Helsinki to establish an independent research program focused on vascular cambium development in the Arabidopsis root. In January 2011, I was selected as a tenure-track group leader at the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki. In June 2019, I was selected as a HiLIFE tenure-track Associate Professor, and in June 2022, I was tenured as Professor of Plant Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki.
I was appointed as Academy Professor by the Research Council of Finland for the period 2026–2031.
I received my bachelor from China Agricultural University. I am interested in the roles of auxin and cytokinin in vascular cambium activity. In 2019 I started as a PhD student in the Mähönen lab. I obtained PhD in 2025 and after that I continued as postdoctoral researcher in the Mähönen lab.
Brecht obtained his PhD in 2019 under the supervision of Prof Bert De Rybel, where he studied how plants control their cell division orientation during root vascular proliferation. Staying in vascular development research, Brecht started as a post-doc in the lab of Ari Pekka, studying the role of auxin during secondary growth.
Xin Wang 王鑫 (Doctoral Researcher, PhD in 2022, then Post-doc, now Associate professor at Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology 深圳理工大学, China)
Lingling Ye 叶玲玲 (Post-doc, now Associate professor at Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology 深圳理工大学, China)
Tiina Blomster (Post-doc, now University Researcher in the Kucukoglu-Topcu lab, University of Helsinki, Finland)
Riikka Mäkilä (Doctoral Researcher, PhD in 2023, now postdoctoral researcher in the
Melis Kucukoglu-Topcu (Post-doc, now Academy fellow, University of Helsinki, Finland)
Ondrej Smetana (Post-doc, now at DIANA Biotechnologies, Vestec, Czech Republic)
Jing Zhang 张静 (Post-doc, now Associate Professor at Nankai University, China)
Suvi Broholm (Post-doc, now in Research Council of Finland)
Riccardo Siligato (Doctoral researcher, PhD 2015; now at Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy)
Anne-Maarit Bågman (Research technician, now in
Additionally, a number of master’s students, Erasmus students, and other students have received training in our lab.