Summer lab update

Although Simina and Sehyeon joined the lab in July, it took us a few weeks to get everyone together. Between conference travel, fielding experiments, and welcoming Manju, our new PhD student (more about her in a separate post), this was the first chance to gather the Umeå University team for a proper introduction.

Supervised by Bastien and Demetrio, Simina is completing her Practicum in Molecular Biology course, working on cell wall extraction from algae and plants, and conducting functional assays of recombinant cell wall–related proteins. Sehyeon, under Klaudia’s supervision, is studying transcriptional regulation following controlled cell wall damage in Arabidopsis thaliana — a project that will form the foundation for his upcoming master’s thesis.

Nancy couldn’t be with us in person as she continues her work at NTNU in Norway, but we made sure she was present in spirit while we shared coffee, cake, and conversation about our projects, holiday plans, and the rare streak of warm, sunny weather here in northern Sweden.

It was the perfect mix of science, summer, and catching up — a reminder that behind every dataset is a team that works (and celebrates) together.