Carin Jarl Sunesson

After finishing my undergraduate studies at Lund, I worked at biotech labs in plant breeding companies for almost 15 years. First in Sweden and then for four years in the Netherlands. In connection with this I also did my PhD thesis at the Swedish Agricultural University. During those years I used and developed different applications, such as cell and tissue culture,genetic transformations and cell fusions in order to improve different agricultural characters in different crops. Those projects were often done in close cooperation with plant breeders and to some degree the marketing divisions of the companies.

When I eventually returned to Lund University, I started to get interested in the interplay between microorganisms and plants on a molecular level. I was member of a Nordic research group investigating the nitrogen fixing symbiosis especially in the Nordic climate. I am also interested in the specific proteins, pathogesis-related proteins, expressed by plants as a response to microbial colonizations or attacks.

I still plan to complete and finish one of my projects, in which cell culture and genetic transformations of clover are developed and used in order to enhance the nodulation efficacy. I also want to continue with a project aiming at analysing and characterization of the biological function and molecular structure of one of the glucanase group of the PR-proteins.

However, during my years at LU I have become more and more interested and involved in teaching. I teach mainly plant and molecular biology at different levels. Since a few years now, teaching as well as planning and organizing our teaching fills most of my working hours. As I am now director of studies for all biology education as well as being deputy head of our department, I have the possibility to learn about all the different courses we offer at the department. The education we offer in biology and molecular biology at our department is among the best in Sweden as well as being of a high standard internationally. We have to work continuously in cooperation with our students to keep this position and to become even better!

As director of studies, I am involved in several boards and committees in our own faculty as well as in the medical and the technical faculty. On the university level I am member of the working group for the new strategic plan for the university. The Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society has an Education committee, to which I have been appointed. I am a representative at the Life Science Sector advisory board in South Sweden. I am member of the steering committee of the cooperation between SLU, Alnarp and LU, Plant Link.

I and my husband Anders live with our three children and our cat Mårran in an old house with a large garden. In addition to fighting the weeds in the garden, I enjoy reading, music, travelling and hiking.