Michael Groszmann
As part of the Evans lab, Michael investigated ways of improving CO2 diffusion into and within mesophyll cells.
His primary focus was understanding the biology of the proteins in charge of transporting water and CO2 molecules in the plant cell, called aquaporin proteins. He studied a special type of aquaporins termed COporins, which facilitate the transfer of CO2 across the membrane. His main goal was the development of superior COporin variants enabling more efficient CO2 diffusion and photosynthetic rates. He is also screening natural populations of Arabidopsis to identify genes defining mesophyll conductance.
Michael was part of the Centre from 2015 to 2021