Anja Schneider

PD Dr. Anja Schneider is a Staff Scientist at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich's Faculty of Biology, Department of Plant Sciences. Her research focuses on manganese homeostasis and plastid inheritance mechanisms in Arabidopsis, rapeseed, and petunia. She coordinates Plant Science II courses at the bachelor and master levels and serves as a safety commissioner in the greenhouse facility. Her work integrates molecular genetics, biochemical assays, and evolutionary perspectives to elucidate fundamental processes in chloroplast function and metal transport.

Dr. Schneider's research highlights include discovering the role of CHLOROPLAST MANGANESE TRANSPORTER1 in metal homeostasis, characterizing the PAM71 protein's evolutionary conservation across kingdoms, and analyzing paternal plastid inheritance patterns in Petunia hybrids. She collaborates extensively with groups studying photosynthetic efficiency and thylakoid membrane dynamics, with over 30 peer-reviewed publications since 2003.

• Key Research Themes:
  • Manganese transport mechanisms in chloroplast envelope membranes
  • Thylakoid membrane protein biogenesis
  • Evolution of metal transport proteins
  • Plastid DNA inheritance patterns
• Teaching: Bachelor/Master Plant Science II coordination, lab course supervision
• Facility Roles: Greenhouse safety commissioner (BBS), equipment coordination

Her publications span from foundational studies on STN7 kinase roles in light acclimation (2010) to recent discoveries about conserved UPF0016 protein functions (2021). Current projects explore synthetic biology approaches to engineer manganese-tolerant crops and investigate cross-kingdom transport mechanisms using cyanobacterial-Arabidopsis comparisons.