Teresa Fitzpatrick

Teresa Fitzpatrick is a Full Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences within the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Geneva. Her research laboratory is located in Sc3 1047B, and she leads the research group focused on Vitamins & Environmental Stress Responses in Plants.

Professor Fitzpatrick's research centers on plant metabolism with particular emphasis on the biochemistry and physiology of vitamin biosynthesis and degradation. Her work investigates how these processes interact with primary plant metabolism and how they influence plant responses to abiotic stresses. She employs bacteria, yeast, and model plants including Arabidopsis thaliana and Lotus, utilizing multidisciplinary biological and chemical techniques in her research program.

Analysis of her publication record reveals a strong focus on vitamin B metabolism in plants, particularly vitamins B1 and B6. Her research spans fundamental biochemical mechanisms through to applied biotechnology for crop improvement. A significant trend in her recent work involves biofortification strategies to enhance vitamin content in staple crops like rice and cassava, with successful field trials demonstrating nutritional improvements without compromising agronomic traits.

Professor Fitzpatrick has contributed to significant advancements in understanding vitamin metabolic pathways in plants, with applications for improving human nutrition through enhanced crop varieties. Her work bridges fundamental plant science with practical agricultural applications to address global nutritional challenges.

Her research group appears active with multiple ongoing projects, including studies on paraquat resistance mutations, PLPHPs in vitamin B6 homeostasis, and biofortification of rice to combat vitamin B1 deficiency. The group has also participated in curling activities as evidenced by a team photo from February 2018.