Daniel Marchal on key academic milestones and contributions to CROP4CLIMA
Our partner, Daniel Marchal, has recently completed his PhD— “Exploring and engineering enzymes for new-to-nature photorespiration”—, marking a key chapter in his work with the CROP4CLIMA project. His involvement with our project started during his Master‘s studies with FutureAgriculture, and over time, his efforts have led to major advances within CROP4CLIMA. A primary focus of his work has been the optimization of the TaCo pathway – a synthetic pathway designed to enhance CO₂assimilation in crops such as oilseed rape, thereby improving yield and resilience to climate change.
“I was inspired by the vision of using artificial photorespiration to improve nature,” said Daniel. During his PhD with Tobias Erb’s team at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, he aimed to advance the TaCo pathway. One of the most significant milestones of his PhD was the substantial improvement of TaCo’s key reaction, resulting in enzymes that operate twice as fast and with 60% less energy demand.
Daniel also emphasized the benefits of being part of a larger European consortium. By collaborating with European research teams, Daniel saw firsthand how other researchers applied his work in various ways. He also noted that having an established network of collaborators and access to funding allowed him to focus more on the research.
Daniel will continue his work with CROP4CLIMA over the coming months, focusing on characterizing the first oilseed rape samples that contain the TaCo pathway. Although Daniel is envisioning a transition to industry after completing his current project, his motivation remains the same: “I have always been driven by the desire to improve nature, increase crop yields, and reduce carbon footprints. If I can continue pursuing these goals, whether in the industry or another sector, that would be great”.
Daniel’s work in CROP4CLIMA has significantly advanced the project’s goals of developing sustainable and climate-resilient crops. His contributions will continue to shape the project’s future directions as it addresses the increasing challenges climate change poses on agriculture.