The transition to flowering is one of the most important developmental switches in a plants life cycle and has been studied in detail at the physiological, genetic, and molecular levels. The small globular protein FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) has shown to be the key signalling molecule integrating various environmental and endogenous signals into a flower-inducing signal. A frontier and challenging research topic is to unravel FT?s molecular mode of action. Previous work showed that FT moves from the leaves to the shoot apical meristem, where it interacts with the bZIP transcription factor FD, leading to FD activation and the induction of flower formation. Though, how FT modifies FD and which other proteins are involved in FT?s functioning is not understood. We aim to identify chemical compounds that impinge on FT activity, facilitating the understanding of FT?s molecular mode of action and giving the opportunity to identify compounds that can inhibit or mimic FT?s function in flowering. FT belongs to the phospatidylethanolamine-binding domain protein (PEBP) family and structural analysis revealed the strong conservation of the ligand binding domain pocket of this class of proteins. Mamalian PEBPs have shown to be important signalling molecules and a number of small chemical compounds has been identified interfering with PEBPs functioning. We will use this information as basis to screen for novel chemical compounds acting on FTs activity. Subsequently, through creative chemical design and organic synthesis a structure-activity relationship study will be conducted in order to obtain insight in the way FT functions and for optimal perturbation of its function. In parallel, we aim to identify the protein complexes in which the FT protein is active. For this we will use a novel synergistic approach combining proteomics and small molecule chemical tagging technologies. Our last and most challenging goal is to identify a FT mimicking chemical agent, which will facilitate the further elucidation of FT?s functioning, and which is also of interest for future applications. Our complex research question and cutting-edge chemical-genomic approach demands an interdisciplinary research team, which is for a large part covered by the applying organic chemistry and molecular plant development research groups. The complementary and synergistic effects will be strengthened by the international contacts within the research fields studying flower formation and applying chemical biology.

When organizations talk about equity, diversity, and inclusion, they primarily focus on how to help minoritized groups. But what about the norm group? This project focuses on studying what individuals and organizations do to maintain the norm, or maintain “sameness”, by reproducing privilege, on the one hand, and marginalization on the other. The research will be based in various academic and professional environments where “professionalism” is taught: in classrooms, middle-management, and medical professional settings. It will expose—and develop concrete ways to disrupt—imaginary sameness in values, attitudes, and approaches to professionalism to create more equitable and inclusive Dutch universities.

We study the transition to sustainable ecology-based agriculture by using mixed-cropping systems that combine multiple crop species on a single field. Our team elucidates the ecological processes that make mixed cropping systems sustainably productive and we identify which socio-economic and societal or institutional factor need to be resolved to overcome the lock-in in current conventional farming systems. To allow a broad spectrum of farmers, consumers and stakeholders to reach transition goals, we embrace variation in transition paths. We explicitly compare how existing international value chains require adjustments as well as how new short and local value chains can emerge.

The evolution of rapid auxin signalling pathway In plants, the hormone auxin can trigger fast cellular responses. These respones are evolutionary conserved, yet little is known about how they are generated. This project will compare fast auxin responses in distinct plant species using genetics and biochemistry to identify the key components that generate these responses.

The city of Amsterdam is well-known for its creative citizens, innovative use of public spaces, and bottom up and informal (citizen) initiatives. Many of these initiatives are endorsed and - after some time - formalised by local government. However, some need to be relocated or disappear due to densification-strategies. This is particularly the case in contexts of urban growth and not unique for Amsterdam. Depending on the specific circumstances, densification strategies compensate densification with nature conservation and/or public space programs. Densification is a contested approach – chiefly because it often entails quantitative approaches that are abstracting specific places into numerical value and generalized policy ambitions that do not resonate with the creative language and practical wisdom and imagination at play in the specific places. Often, these strategies also involve uncertainty regarding their relationship with informal citizen initiatives. Particularly in the urban fringe, we see a variety of initiatives that have developed over the years and which have obtained temporary approval for their activities. In this pop-up research we explore if, and how techniques of research by design contribute to making productive these confrontations – between formal and informal resources, between practical wisdom and generalised knowledge, between local creative-artistic and more general quantitative approaches - with the broader aim to create more sustainable and liveable cities.