“I have always had an interest in everything related to nature,” says new Master of Biological Sciences lecturer and advisor, Dr. Anke Reinders. Dr. Reinders, a native of Bremen, Germany, studied biology at the University of Bremen and received her PhD in botany from the University of Basel, Switzerland. She moved to Minnesota with her husband when he was offered a position here.
Dr. Reinders’s PhD research was on nutrient signaling in yeast. As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Tübingen, she studied membrane protein interactions in plants. Since 2001 she has worked as a senior research associate in the department of Plant and Microbial Biology (formerly Plant Biology) at the University of Minnesota. “I really enjoy working at an R1 research university where so much excellent science is happening,” she says.
One major focus of Dr. Reinders’s work has been to understand how plants acquire and distribute nutrients throughout the organism. She has focused on the role of plant membrane transporters, specifically transporters for sucrose and other sugars, as well as amino acids and ammonium.
Another important part of her research has been heterologous expression of plant transport proteins in yeast and in frog oocytes. Using electrophysiology and molecular biology methods, she has characterized the function of transporters from a wide range of plant species, from flowering plants to basal land plants.
Dr. Reinders has taught BIOL 3020 Molecular Biology and Society and served on the University of Minnesota Senate. In the fall, she will be teaching APS 8001 Introduction to Research in the Biological Sciences and APS 8003 MBS Capstone Course.
“Getting an advanced degree can be daunting,” Reinders says. “I am looking forward to helping the MBS students find their way at the University and identify great courses and research opportunities. I want their time in the program to be enjoyable and successful. I am excited to be here and look forward to meeting them!”
Outside of work, Reinders enjoys gardening, reading mystery novels, and traveling.
