Dhika Amanda
Om
I am a postdoctoral researcher and Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Postdoctoral Fellowship 2023 awardee, working on the cell wall viscoelasticity in the functional plant biology group led by Prof. Thorsten Hamann.
I have a broad interest in cell–cell communication and signaling in plant growth and development. I am particularly fascinated in investigating the cell wall dynamics and cell wall integrity maintenance mechanism in response to abiotic stress. My specific expertise lies in the plant cell wall, mechano-sensing, and imaging.
Honors & awards
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Postdoctoral Fellowship 2023
- The Albert Shimmins Fund Postgraduate Writing Award, University of Melbourne - 2016
- Botany Foundation Travel Scholarship 2015, University of Melbourne
- The School of Biosciences Travel Awards 2015, University of Melbourne
- The NORMA HILDA SCHUSTER (née SWIFT) scholarship 2014, University of Melbourne
- Melbourne International Fee Remission Scholarship (MIFRS) 2012-2015, University of Melbourne
- Melbourne International Research Scholarship (MIRS) 2012-2015, University of Melbourne
Work experiences
- 02 April 2017 - August 2021
-
- Position: Postdoctoral researcher working on the crops genetic
- Employer: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
-
- March – July 2016
-
- Position: Demonstrator and teaching assistant for ‘Microscopy for Biological Sciences’ Courses
- Employer: School of Biosciences - University of Melbourne
-
- March – July 2016
-
- Position: Research assistant for Microscopy support
- Employer: ARC Center of Excellence in Plants Cell Walls - University of Melbourne
-
- June 2009 – September 2009
-
- Position: Visiting researcher working on the identification of mammalian species using mitochondrial cytochrome b and 12S rRNA gene as a universal DNA barcode
- Employer: Eijkman Institute of Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
-
Education
2012 – 2016: PhD in Plant Molecular Biology, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne
- Research title: The Roles of DEFECTIVE KERNEL1 (DEK1) in Control of Mechano-sensitive Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana
2010 – 2011: MSc - Master of Science, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia
2006 – 2010: BSc - Bachelor of Science, School of Life sciences and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia
Workshops and trainings
- 9th NorMIC Workshop on Microscopy Image Processing, University of Oslo, November 2022
- Multi-photon Microscopy Workshop - The Peter Doherty Institute, 26 March 2015
- The Super-Resolution Microscopy Workshop – The Bio21 Institute, 14 March 2014
- Glycomics Workshop – CoE in Plant Cell Walls Melbourne Node, 30 October 2014
- A Masterclass in Real-Time PCR, Royal Melbourne Hospital Function and Convention Centre, Grattan St, Parkville, 6 June 2014
Forskning
WallABAutStiffness - Marie Sklodowska-Curie Project, see https://www.ntnu.edu/biology/research/wallabautstiffness
Cell wall plasticity refers to the wall's ability to alter its shape, composition, and viscoelasticity (stiffness and viscosity) in a highly controlled manner in response to wall alteration caused by stressors1. This tight control is essential for plants since a sudden weakening of the cell wall will result in cell bursting due to the wall's failure to constrain the high-turgor pressure inside the cell, leading to cell death. Plasticity seems to be modulated by the cell wall integrity (CWI) maintenance mechanism. It is the key mechanism that monitors the functional integrity of cell walls by utilizing a wide range of receptor-like kinases and ion channels in the plasma membrane to detect cell wall damage (CWD) and translate it into signals initiating wall remodeling2-4. Furthermore, any impairment in the CWI triggers adaptive responses, including deposition of lignin, callose, and pectins, changes in carbohydrate metabolism, and production of phytohormones5-7. Abscisic acid (ABA) is one of the key phytohormones involved in regulating plant adaptive responses against abiotic stresses, such as salt and drought8. While ABA signal transduction has been characterized extensively, the processes inducing ABA production remain to be discovered.
My project aims to investigate the relationship between changes in ABA, cell microviscosity, and wall plasticity controlled by the CWI maintenance mechanism using a combination of confocal-Brillouin microscope, ABA FRET sensors9, and fluorescence molecular rotors10.
References
- Anderson, C.T. & Kieber,J.J. Annu Rev Plant Biol 71, 39–69 (2020)
- Somerville, C. Science 306, 2206–11 (2004)
- Hamann, T. Phytochemistry 112, 100-9 (2015)
- Hamann, T. Plant Cell Physiol 56, 215–23 (2015)
- Ellis, C. & Turner, J.G. Plant Cell 13, 1025–33 (2001)
- Hamann, T., et al. Plant J 57, 1015–26 (2009)
- Denness, L. et al. Plant Physiol 156, 1364–74 (2011)
- Chen, K., et al. JIPB 62, 25-54 (2020)
- Jones, A.M., et al. eLife 3, e01741 (2014)
- Michels, L., et al. PNAS 117 (30), 18110-18118 (2020)
Publikasjoner
Plant Cell Wall Integrity Maintenance
Auxin boosts energy generation pathways to fuel pollen maturation in barley
Arabidopsis DEFECTIVE KERNEL1 regulates cell wall composition and axial growth in the inflorescence stem
DEFECTIVE KERNEL1 (DEK1) Regulates Cell Walls in the Leaf Epidermis
Regulation of cell wall genes in response to DEFECTIVE KERNEL1 (DEK1)-induced cell wall changes
2023
-
Amanda, Dhika;
Hamann, Thorsten Klaus.
(2023)
Plant Cell Wall Integrity Maintenance.
CRC Press
Vitenskapelig Kapittel/Artikkel/Konferanseartikkel
2022
-
Schulz, Julia;
Ticha, Tereza;
Amanda, Dhika;
Moe, Pernille Sofie;
Heien, Hanne Alise;
Bjerkesmoen, Hedda.
(2022)
Prøv deg som forsker.
Ungdommens Forskernatt 2022
Annen presentasjon
Del av bok/rapport
-
Amanda, Dhika;
Hamann, Thorsten Klaus.
(2023)
Plant Cell Wall Integrity Maintenance.
CRC Press
Vitenskapelig Kapittel/Artikkel/Konferanseartikkel
UTSTILLING
-
Schulz, Julia;
Ticha, Tereza;
Amanda, Dhika;
Moe, Pernille Sofie;
Heien, Hanne Alise;
Bjerkesmoen, Hedda.
(2022)
Prøv deg som forsker.
Ungdommens Forskernatt 2022
Annen presentasjon
Undervisning
- 2024: Teaching assistant for BI3013 Experimental cell and molecular biology
- 2024: Teaching assistant for BI3016 Molecular cell biology
- 2022 - 2024: Teaching assistant for BI2015 Molecular Biology, Laboratory Course, NTNU
- 2022 - 2024: Teaching assistant for BI2012 Cell Biology, NTNU
- 2023: Teaching assistant for BI3085 Biology without borders, NTNU
- 2022: Teaching assistant for BI2080 Global Change Biology, NTNU
- 2022: Teaching assistant for BI1007 Plant Structure and Function, NTNU
- 2020: Guess lecturer for Mechanosensing and Image Analysis using ImageJ in the University of Cologne
- 2016: Teaching assistant for Microscopy for Biological Sciences course, School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne
- 2011: Teaching assistant for Bioinformatics master course, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia
- 2010: Laboratory assistant for Genetics, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia
- 2010: Teaching assistant for Cell and Molecular Biology, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB)
- 2007: Laboratory assistant for General Biology, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia
Formidling
2024
-
Faglig foredragAmanda, Dhika. (2024) How plants monitor and maintain their health status. NTNU Researchers’ night , Trondheim 2024-10-27 - 2024-10-27
-
PosterZwartkruis, Stephanus Theodorus Wilhelmus; Ticha, Tereza; Häger, Wiebke; Soni, Nancy; Alterås, Bjørnar; Ticha, Michaela. (2024) Agrobacterium: Naturens genetiske ingeniør. NTNU Researchers' night 2024 , Trondheim 2024-09-27 - 2024-09-27
2023
-
Faglig foredragZwartkruis, Stephanus Theodorus Wilhelmus; Ticha, Tereza; Ticha, Michaela; Soni, Nancy; Sueldo, Daniela Jorgelina; Gachao, Leah Wanja. (2023) Planter: Mat og Bioenergi. Norwegian University of Science and Technology Forskningstorget , Trondheim 2023-09-22 - 2023-09-23