Alexia GRAU

Alexia GRAU is a Temporary Teaching and Research Associate (ATER) at the University of Haute-Alsace, affiliated with the Vine, Biotechnologies and Environment Laboratory (EA 3991) in Colmar. She earned her PhD in 2024, focusing on grapevine wood diseases, plant tolerance mechanisms, and Botryosphaeriaceae effectors under Professor J. CHONG. Her research bridges molecular biology and plant pathology, with expertise in functional genomics and pathogen interactions.

Education:

• PhD (2024), University of Haute-Alsace, thesis: Grapevine wood diseases and plant tolerance mechanisms
• Master's in Plant Production Quality Management (2019–2021), Avignon University
• Bachelor's in Life and Earth Sciences – Agrosciences (2016–2019), Avignon University
• First Year Common to Health Studies (2014–2016), Aix Marseille University of Medicine

Research Interests:
Alexia GRAU investigates plant-pathogen interactions, particularly in grapevine wood diseases. Her work explores plant tolerance through carbon status dynamics and the role of effector proteins in fungal virulence. She integrates molecular biology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics to study oxidative stress responses, genome editing, and secondary metabolite characterization.

Labs & Teams:
She is affiliated with the Vine, Biotechnologies and Environment Laboratory (EA 3991) in Colmar, focusing on plant-microbe interactions. Her prior professional experience includes internships with INRAe and Avignon University, working on functional validation of QTL in tomatoes, molecular responses in peaches to aphid infestation, and phenolic compound analysis in fungal pathogenicity.