Dr Kemal Kazan: analysing plant defence responses

Dr Kemal Kazan researches model and crop plants to analyse signalling processes regulating plant defence responses.

• 2 May 2006 | Updated 24 November 2011

Overview

• Current activities
• Background
• Academic qualifications

Current activities 

Dr Kemal Kazan is a Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO Plant Industry based at the Queensland Bioscience Precinct, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland.

Dr Kazan’s current research focuses on the use of both model (for example, Arabidopsis) and crop (for example, wheat) plant systems to analyse signalling processes regulating plant defence responses.

The work in the model system focuses mainly on the interaction between Arabidopsis and the economically important fungal pathogens such as Fusarium, Alternaria and Botrytis. The work in crop system focuses on the wheat-crown rot (Fusarium pseudograminearum) interaction.

Dr Kazan uses genomic technologies for the identification and functional characterisation of regulatory genes (for example, transcription factors) involved in plant defence. He is also interested in the cross-talk among plant hormone and/or defence signalling pathways.

Background 

Dr Kazan studied genetics of food and pasture legumes, respectively, during his doctoral and postdoctoral work.

Since 1994, his research has been focusing on molecular plant pathology. He has investigated potential applications of antimicrobial peptide technology in plant protection.

His more recent work in plant defence signalling revealed new components of jasmonate signalling pathway in Arabidopsis and their role in regulating the interaction between jasmonate and other signalling pathways.

Academic qualifications

Dr Kazan was awarded a Bachelor of Science (summa cum laude) and a Master of Science, both from Ankara University, Turkey.

He went on to be awarded his Doctorate from Washington State University, USA.

See a list of scientific papers published by Dr Kazan on the next page.