Esther Carrera Bergua

I obtained my degree in Biology from the University of Barcelona and my PhD in Genetics, under the supervision of Salomé Prat. My early research focused on gibberellin biosynthesis and its role in plant development, particularly the function of GA20-oxidase genes in tuberization.

Following postdoctoral research in the UK at the BBSRC Long Ashton Research Station and Rothamsted Research, where I studied gibberellin biosynthesis and the molecular regulation of seed dormancy and germination in Arabidopsis, I returned to Spain in 2005 as a Ramón y Cajal researcher at the Valencian Institute for Agricultural Research (IVIA). There, I investigated the genetic basis of citrus fruit quality and production traits.

In 2007, I joined the Institute of Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP-CSIC), where my research shifted towards the hormonal regulation of reproductive development in tomato, with particular emphasis on fruit set, parthenocarpy, and reproductive organ development. Since 2012, I have been a permanent research staff member at the IBMCP, where I lead a research programme focused on the role of gibberellins in plant reproductive development, particularly ovule and seed formation. I am also the scientific coordinator of the Plant Hormone Quantification Service, combining fundamental research with the development and application of analytical approaches for plant hormone profiling.