Annamaria is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Plant Sciences division in Research School of Biology at the Australian National University (ANU).
Annamaria has been fascinated by plants since a young age, and undertook Bachelor of Science (Majoring Botany, 2010-2012) and Masters of Science (Botany, 2013-2014) at the University of Melbourne. She then relocated to Canberra to pursue her passion for science communication at Questacon (The National Science and Technology Centre). Annamaria then started her PhD at the ANU (2016-2020), investigating strategies for improving plant performance through engineering plant transport proteins.
Since her PhD and during her time in the Byrt Group (2020-current), Annamaria has been researching small selective pores found in plant cell membranes called aquaporins. These proteins are essential for plants’ survival, acting as gatekeepers for the transport of water, nutrients and other important solutes throughout the plant. Since 2020, Annamaria and other MTE team members have been working towards translating latest findings from the laboratory to address key challenges in the management of wastewater.
Dr Annamaria is co-founder and co-director of Membrane Transport Engineers.