POSTDOCTORAL

Omar Hdedeh obtained his Bachelor's degree in Biology from the Lebanese University, followed by a Master's 1 in Plant Biology and Environment at the same institution. He then moved to France to pursue a Master's degree in Tropical Plant Biotechnology at the University of Montpellier. During this time, he conducted a research internship in Dr. Enric Zelazny's group (Christophe Maurel Lab), investigating the role of HIR proteins organized in nanodomains and their function in regulating aquaporins in Arabidopsis thaliana. Following this, Omar received a doctoral fellowship from the Doctoral School to conduct a three-year Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. Enric Zelazny, funded by Institut Agro Montpellier. His research focused on the cellular and physiological regulation of aquaporins by HIR proteins, studying water transport in roots and stomatal closure in response to flg22 in Arabidopsis hir mutants. Through this work, Omar gained expertise in cell biology, advanced microscopy and plant physiology. After completing his Ph.D. contract, he held a two-month position as a research engineer in the same lab, funded by CNRS. Since March 2025, he has joined the Van Damme lab as a postdoctoral researcher, aiming to investigate the interplay between SCAMP proteins, key regulators of protein trafficking, and PIP aquaporins in Arabidopsis.