Triin Vahisalu (born October 4, 1978) is an Estonian botanist. She studies the effects of stress on plants and discovered a gene that regulates stomata in harsh environments.

Education

Vahisalu attended the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

for her undergraduate degree in biology between 1997 and 2004 and stayed on until 2005 for her master's. Vahisalu completed her doctorate in plant biology at the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...

, though her research was in collaboration with the University of Tartu. In 2011, she received a fellowship from the

L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards The L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards, created in 1998, aim to improve the position of women in science by recognizing outstanding women researchers who have contributed to scientific progress. The awards are a result of a partnersh ...

which supported her research outside Estonia. She was the first winner from the Baltic States.

Career and research

Vahisalu's primary research interests are the effects of varying environmental conditions on crops. She has investigated how plant stomata open and close in drought conditions or under exposure to ozone. When under stress, plants close their stomata to limit exposure to the surrounding atmosphere. She has identified a gene and an associated protein responsible for stoma regulation in Arabidopsis plants. This was achieved by comparing different mutations with varying sensitivity to ozone. Her work could lead to the development of plants that are more resilient in harsh environments. An article about this discovery was published in the high-profile journal

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

. Vahisalu continues to work at the Universities of Tartu and Helsinki as a post-doctoral fellow. In 2019, she was involved in a conference called "Plants in a Changing World".

Awards and honours

* 2011 Fellow from L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science. She was praised by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves for her contributions to science on the occasion of her receiving this award. *2011 Best Doctoral Thesis at the University of Tartu. *2010

Estonian National Research Award Estonian National Research Awards ( et, Eesti teaduspreemiad) are Estonian science awards which are given annually to Estonian researchers and research teams. Winners are chosen by Government of Estonia who bases on recommendations by Minister ...

Personal life

Vahisalu is married and has a child.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vahisalu, Triin 21st-century Estonian women scientists 21st-century Estonian botanists University of Helsinki alumni University of Tartu alumni 1978 births Living people