Frank Waller

Dr. Frank Waller is a Researcher at the Chair of Pharmaceutical Biology, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg since 2009. His work focuses on plant-microbe interactions, particularly the molecular mechanisms of plant pathogen resistance and the role of sphingolipids in stress responses. He leads a research group investigating programmed cell death and endophytic fungal colonization of plant roots.

• PhD in Biology (University of Freiburg)
• Postdoc at Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan
• Habilitation in Plant Physiology at Justus Liebig University Giessen

His research demonstrates that phytosphingosine inhibits pathogen growth while studying Serendipita indica and Serendipita herbamans endophytes that enhance systemic pathogen resistance and yield in host plants. Current projects analyze sphingolipid metabolism and fusarium resistance mechanisms in wheat. The group maintains an improved growth medium for Serendipita indica propagation.

• DFG-funded project on sphingobase metabolism (2019)
• Previous support from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
• Collaborations with Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science
• International projects with East Asia Scholarship Program

Key findings include:

• Phytosphingosine's role in pathogen inhibition
• Endophyte-induced systemic resistance mechanisms
• Stress-dependent colonization dynamics