Ava Verhoeven

Dr. Ava Verhoeven is an Assistant Professor at the Education Institute Biology within Utrecht University's Faculty of Science. Her academic journey includes a PhD in Nematology from Wageningen University & Research (2016-2020) and postdoctoral research in Plant Ecophysiology and Molecular Plant Physiology at Utrecht University.

Her research program focuses on plant stress resilience mechanisms, with expertise spanning:

• Molecular responses to abiotic stresses (drought, temperature extremes)
• Plant-nematode interactions and effector biology
• Virus-plant pathogenesis and epidemiology
• Genomics and transcriptomics approaches (RNA-Seq, qPCR)

Verhoeven's recent publications demonstrate a focus on Arabidopsis stress responses, nematode virulence mechanisms, and plant virus epidemiology. She employs molecular biology techniques to investigate plant adaptation under combined stressors and pathogen challenges.

She contributes to undergraduate education through courses in Genomics, Molecular Biology, and Plants in Context.