Finding ways to increase plant productivity and yield, especially under changing climate conditions, is one of the top priorities for plant biologists. The transport of carbon from the leaves, where it is fixed, to roots, fruits and other organs that depend on carbon import for growth and development, is one potential target that has received relatively little attention so far. The carbon transport system is very complex, strictly regulated and interlinked with many other processes. My research aims at identifying the genetic factors that regulate the distribution of carbon in plants and discovering how carbon allocation is linked to environmental factors and stress responses.<br>Methods that are routinely used in my lab for this investigation are live-cell microscopy, especially single-molecule imaging, electron microscopy, theoretical modeling, radiology and the various techniques of molecular biology.