Carolien Ruyter-Spira

Dr. Carolien Ruyter-Spira is a plant sciences researcher at Wageningen University & Research with secondary affiliation at University of Amsterdam. She specializes in strigolactone biology, drought tolerance mechanisms, and plant-microbe interactions in rice and sorghum systems.

• Co-promotor for 4 PhD projects on Striga resistance and drought adaptation
• Active in synthetic strigolactone applications for crop improvement
• Key contributor to understanding mycobiome-genotype interactions in rice

Research Focus:
Her work bridges plant physiology and molecular genetics to address food security challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. Current research explores strigolactone signaling pathways, oxidative stress responses, and root microbiome engineering for drought resilience. She leads interdisciplinary projects integrating transcriptomics, metabolomics, and field trials.

Scientific Contributions:
Recent publications highlight her expertise in:

• Strigolactone structural diversity (2025)
• Root mycobiota genetic mapping (2023)
• Phosphate-strigolactone interplay (2023)
• Antioxidative drought mechanisms (2021)
• AM symbiosis signaling (2021)

Collaborative Network:
Works with Prof. Harro Bouwmeester (PI) across multiple projects. Collaborates with researchers in Ethiopia, Netherlands, and France on crop stress adaptation. Her work has received media attention through Professional Agricultural Research outlets since 2017.