Jonas Blomme

Jonas completed his PhD in the lab of Dirk Inzé (VIB-PSB) in 2016. He studied leaf development in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, specifically how mutations in genes encoding cell cycle or organellar proteins disturbed cell proliferation or expansion. 

After his PhD, Jonas switched topics and joined the Phycology Research Group (Olivier De Clerck) and Plant Genome Editing Group (Thomas Jacobs). The Ulva genome project was finishing, and the next goal was to study gene function. Jonas developed a molecular toolkit that allowed to generate the first stable tagged lines in a seaweed. Jonas continues the development and optimisation of molecular tools, including CRISPR mutagenesis. He currently aims to study gene function at scale and  focus on proteins involved in carbon capture, together with PhD student Alejandro Sebiani. 

As a follow-up to the Ulva genome project, we are studying the genetic variation in Ulva populations with PhD student Emma Coulembier Vandelannoote. We are particularly interested in identifying the genetic regions that are responsible for the phenotypic variation we observe in Ulva.

Since September 2024, Jonas holds an associate professorship position at the Department of Biology (UGent).