Erik Alexandersson

My research interests and projects:

• Functional genomics and ‘-omics’ data in field trials – linking molecular data with environmental cues, field phenotypes ("Field-omics")
• Induced resistance in potato varieties
• Transcriptomics and proteomics for biomarker discovery
• Global gene expression in the early blight (Alternaria) and late blight (Phytophthora)-potato/tomato interactions
• Understanding plant defense in wild relatives to potato
• Identifying potato late blight in the field with the help of drone-based image analysis (Vinnova FoodTech, EnBlightMe!, 6P2/6P3, NordPlant)
• Biofortification of cassava for improved pro-vitamin A content (Swedish Research Council developmental reseach)
  
• Botanicals and plant resistance inducers for sub-Saharan Africa (AgriFoSe1/2)
• Knowledge-exchange for enhanced genomic analysis of potato to control late blight, and increase drought tolerance  together with ARC Pretoria (STINT/NRF)
• "Växtbioteknik i Afrika söder om Sahara - teknologiöverföring och nya policyer" VR Swedish Research Link
• Resistance breeding for healthy crops - Alternaria-Potato interactions (SLU Grogrund)
• Coordinator NordPlant - A Hub for Sustainable Agriculture and Forest Production in Future Nordic Climates

MSc course Plant Biology for Breeding and Protection, 15 ECTS

PhD course Plant Protection Biology (bi-annual) 7  ECTS

Member of ELLS subject areas Plant Health (leader) and Plant Molecular Breeding and Biotechnology and previously active in ESCAPAdE

Part of the ERASMUS+ AdValue project to strengthen East African capacity in higher education, 2024-2026 (read more). 

I'm currently involved in these larger projects:

“Public Private Partnership - Plant Phenotyping Project (6p): focus on disease in field ptoato”, NordForsk/NordGen, 2018-2020, 2021-2023

”NordPlant - A Climate and Plant Phenomics Hub for Sustainable Agriculture and Forest Production in Future Nordic Climates”, NordForsk, 2018-2024

“Knowledge-exchange for enhanced genomic analysis of potato to control late blight, and increase drought tolerance” together with ARC Pretoria, STINT/NRF 2018-2025

“Plant resistance inducers – the next set of questions for future sustainable agriculture”, Formas, 2020-2024

“Resistensförädling för friska grödor – fokus torrfläcksjuka i potatis (Alternaria solani)”, SLU GroGrund, 2019-2024

"Upscaling crop performance monitoring by linking satellite and field biosignatures (UPSCALE)", 2023-2026 (read more)

"Advancement and adaptation of agricultural biologicals to meet sub-Saharan Africa smallholder farmers' needs and build sustainable food systems", 2024-2026

Finished:

EnBlightMe! Identifying potato late blight in the field with the help of drone-based image analysis, Vinnova, 2017-2019

Botanicals and plant resistance inducers for sub-Saharan Africa (AgriFoSe), 2018-2019

“Search for novel enzymes from Ethiopia soda lakes through metagenomics” Addis Ababa Univeristy-SIDA, 2019-2022

KAP for biologicals for sub-Saharan Africa (AgriFoSe2), 2021-2022

"Plant Biotech in sub-Saharan Africa – technology transfer and new policies", VR Swedish Research Link, 2019-2023

“Biofortification of cassava”, VR development research, 2017-2022

Possible MSc projects

Director of PlantLink - a plant reserach network at Lund University and SLU Alnarp

Coordinator of NordPlant

Current PhD students (co-supervisor):

Shangharsha Thapa

Vinitha Puthanveed

Post docs:

Maria Vera Jesus Da Costa

MSc students:

Silvia Faravelli

Bianca Smuts

Lab technician/Researcher

Sujan Gautam

Ameneh Khani

Previous MSc/PhD students and post docs

Sajeevan Radha Sivarajan

Mesia Ilomo

Allan Mueke

Junfeng Gao

Priscilla Olayide

Valentina Rossi

Oliyad Jeilu

Sophie Brouwer

Linnea Stridh

Murilo Sandroni 

Ingi Abdelmeguid

Shilu Dahal

Annabel Large

Thuongh Ha

Rizwan Choudhry

Find my publications here