Katharina Hanika

Katharina Hanika is a researcher and lecturer specializing in plant pathology and plant-microbe interactions at Wageningen University & Research. She works in the Horticulture & Product Physiology department, focusing on plant disease resistance mechanisms, particularly in tomatoes against fungal pathogens like Verticillium dahliae.

Dr. Hanika completed her PhD at Wageningen University in December 2020 with the thesis titled "Adding by subtracting: Impairing tomato susceptibility genes to obtain resistance to Verticillium wilt." Her doctoral research was supervised by Y. Bai, B. Thomma, and H. Schouten. She maintains an ORCID profile (0000-0003-0336-3985) and continues active research in plant pathology.

Her primary research focuses on:

• Mechanisms of Verticillium wilt resistance in tomatoes
• Role of the WAT1 gene in plant susceptibility to pathogens
• Application of CRISPR/Cas9 technology for enhancing plant resistance
• Transcriptional regulation during plant-pathogen interactions
• Plant defense mechanisms against vascular wilt fungi
• Development of disease-resistant crop varieties through gene editing

Dr. Hanika's publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on understanding and manipulating plant susceptibility genes to develop resistance against major plant pathogens. Her work bridges fundamental plant science with practical applications for crop protection, addressing significant challenges in agricultural productivity. Recent publications (2021-2023) show continued research activity in plant-pathogen interactions, particularly examining how gene inactivation affects plant resistance.

She has been recognized for her commitment to scientific practices as a WUR Data Champion in 2018, actively promoting good data management practices. Her research has garnered attention in the scientific community, with multiple publications receiving citations and media coverage.