Lydia Hamek  will join the group in January 2026 as a Master student to investigate how calcium signaling shapes the interaction between Arabidopsis thaliana and the phytopathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris under environmental stress. Her project will explore how  plants are manipulated during infection by the pathogen, and how abiotic stresses such as drought may influence this process. By combining real-time calcium imaging in vivo, genetically edited bacterial strains/plant lines, and transcriptomic analyses, Lydia’s work seeks to uncover how Xanthomonas perceives and manipulates host signaling pathways. This research may provide new insights into plant–pathogen interactions and lays the groundwork for strategies to strengthen crop resilience and develop sustainable biocontrol approaches.