Ulrich Hammes

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hammes is an Adjunct Professor in the Chair of Plant Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich since 2024. Previously, he led research groups at institutions including the University of Regensburg and University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. His work focuses on plant hormone transporters and their biophysical mechanisms, particularly auxin and amino acid transport systems.

• Key contributions: Discovery of the UmamiT family for amino acid export and structural characterization of PIN-FORMED auxin transporters with the Pedersen group.
• Research methods: Xenopus oocyte expression, electrophysiology, and plant phenotyping.

Collaborations with Claus Schwechheimer's lab and international teams have advanced understanding of auxin phosphorylation dynamics, transporter activation mechanisms, and evolutionary origins of PIN-driven auxin transport. Future goals include optimizing plant stress resistance and yield through targeted transporter engineering.