Farewell Symposium of Prof. Dr. Beat Keller

09:30 Innovation of organic plant breeding
Dr. Monika Messmer, Group Leader Plant Breeding, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, FiBL, Frick

10:00 Grass Comparative Genomics – from synteny-informed gene cloning to pangenome analysis
Prof. Dr. Nils Stein, Professor, Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung, Gatersleben

10:30 Coffee Break

11:15 Genomic selection in wheat – and how we increasingly became data scientists
Prof. Dr. Bruno Studer, Professor,  Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich

11:45 Putting cloned wheat resistance genes to work
Prof. Dr. Brande B. H. Wulff, Associate Professor of Plant Science, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

12:15 Can Lamarck trigger migraine?
Dr. Martin Keller, CEO, fenaco Genossenschaft, Bern

12:45 Lunch

13:45 Providing insights into floral architectures of cereal crops
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Schnurbusch, Professor, Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung, Gatersleben

14:15 Decoding wheat's past: insights from genomic exploration
Prof. Dr. Simon Krattinger, Associate Professor of Plant Science, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

14:45 Coffee Break

15:15 Transgenic crops in field trials: improved resistance in a heated environment 
Dr. Teresa Koller, Scientific Associate in Plant Breeding, Federal Office for Agriculture, Bern

15:45 Cereal powdery mildews: brothers in arms
Prof. Dr. Ralph Panstruga, Professor, Institute for Biology, RWTH Aachen University

16:15 Break

16:30 Laudation
Prof. Dr. Ueli Grossniklaus

16:45 Farewell lecture "Plants, Pathogens, People and Politics"
Prof. Dr. Beat Keller

17:45 Apéro Riche

Prof. Dr. Beat Keller's group at the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich has contributed over many years to research on wheat genomics and the molecular study of wheat resistance to fungal pathogens.

While much of the work has focused on understanding the fundamental molecular basis of resistance, it also addressed translations to plant breeding. Some of these projects have led to intensive discussions in politics and society on the role of novel technologies for food security and the reduction of pesticide use.

In this one-day symposium we will address exciting novel, cutting edge research on major cereal crops and its pathogens, the integration of science into breeding, and economic and regulatory aspects.

We want to bring together people interested in the diverse aspects of crop plant improvement to discuss aspects from basic science, economy, practical breeding, organic production, and more.

The day will end with Beat Keller's Farewell Lecture, revisiting his career in molecular plant biology and its applications.

If you would like to take part in this event, please register at the following link: Registration

We look forward to welcoming you at this event.