Research output per year
Research output per year
Personal profile
Research interests
My research interests include:
- Genetic and molecular basis of plant development
- Hormone perception and signalling mechanisms in plants
- Evolution of hormone signalling systems
- Protein-ligand interactions
Biography
I graduated with an Honours degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford in 2001, followed by a PhD from the University of Nottingham in 2004. From an early stage in my research career I have been interested in the molecular and genetic basis of development, especially in plants, which show impressive variability and capacity to adapt to different lifestyles.
After my PhD I returned to Oxford as a postdoctoral researcher, in the Department of Plant Sciences. There I used the power of Arabidopsis genetics to understand the role of nuclear transcription factors in the development of chloroplasts. In 2010 I moved to UWA and shifted my research towards the perception of plant hormones and growth regulators, especially karrikins. I was fortunate to have been supported by two ARC grants as a researcher, which was followed by an ARC Future Fellowship that allowed me to start up my own research group in 2016. Over my time at UWA, I have generated 30 peer-reviewed publications in high impact journals such as Plant Cell, PNAS and Development.
Details of my current research activities, my research group and our publications can be found on my home page: https://watersmt.org
Funding overview
Fritz G, Waters MT, Chooi Y-H, Millar H, Bond C, Low P, Stubbs K, Stewart S, Moggach S: 2022, ‘Towards building a carbon dioxide foundry’, Woodside Energy Limited
Waters MT, Flematti GR and Fritz G: 2021, ‘From energy stress to hormones: new signals in bacteria and plants’ ARC Discovery Projects, DP210103078
Waters MT: 2019, ‘Interactions between smoke and light signals during plant development’, Australian Academy of Sciences Thomas Davies Research Grant
Waters MT: 2018, ‘From bacteria to plants: finding new butenolide signalling compounds’, UWA SMS Pump Priming Award
Waters MT: 2016, 'Discovering new plant hormone signalling networks', UWA Fellowship Support.
Flematti GR, Waters MT, Dixon KW, Merritt D, Perez-Fernandez, M: 2016, 'Smoke-derived karrikins reveal a new pathway for plant development', ARC Discovery projects.
Waters MT: 2015, 'Unlocking a new hormone signalling system to increase plant performance', ARC Future Fellowships.
Waters MT: 2014, ‘A novel bioassay based in yeast to discover a predicted new plant hormone’, Winner, UWA Pitch Your Project in 3 Minutes.
Waters MT: 2011, 'Smoke signals and shoot branching hormones – how do plants tell the difference?', UWA Research Development Award.
Previous positions
2010-2016 Post-doctoral Research Fellow (PI: Prof Steven Smith)
University of Western Australia, ARC Centre of Excellence Plant Energy Biology
2004-2008 Post-doctoral Research Fellow (PI: Prof Jane A Langdale)
University of Oxford, Department of Plant Sciences
Current projects
Honours and PhD opportunities:
1. Smoke alarm: Discovering new signalling compounds that operate in plants
http://www.science.uwa.edu.au/future-students/postgrad/opportunities/molecular/smoke
2. Exploiting chemical signals to boost plant performance
http://www.science.uwa.edu.au/future-students/postgrad/opportunities/molecular/chemical-signals
1. Smoke alarm: Discovering new signalling compounds that operate in plants
http://www.science.uwa.edu.au/future-students/postgrad/opportunities/molecular/smoke
2. Exploiting chemical signals to boost plant performance
http://www.science.uwa.edu.au/future-students/postgrad/opportunities/molecular/chemical-signals
Teaching overview
GENE2250 Principles of Inheritance
GENE3350 Evolution and Development
GENE3370 Genomics
GENE4002 Integrated Topis in Genetics I
GENE4003 Integrated Topis in Genetics II
Research expertise keywords
- Plant development and genetics
- Synthetic biology
- Karrikin
- Photosynthetic development
- Plant genetics and hormone signalling
- Strigolactone
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KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 regulates leaf development, root system architecture and arbuscular-mycorrhizal symbiosis in Brachypodium distachyon
Meng, Y., Varshney, K., Incze, N., Badics, E., Kamran, M., Davies, S. F., Oppermann, L. M. F., Magne, K., Dalmais, M., Bendahmane, A., Sibout, R., Vogel, J., Laudencia-Chingcuanco, D., Bond, C. S., Soós, V., Gutjahr, C. & Waters, M. T., Mar 2022, In: Plant Journal. 109, 6, p. 1559-1574 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
KARRIKIN UP-REGULATED F-BOX 1 (KUF1) imposes negative feedback regulation of karrikin and KAI2 ligand metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana
Sepulveda, C., Guzmán, M. A., Li, Q., Villaécija-Aguilar, J. A., Martinez, S. E., Kamran, M., Khosla, A., Liu, W., Gendron, J. M., Gutjahr, C., Waters, M. T. & Nelson, D. C., 15 Mar 2022, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 119, 11, e2112820119.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Desmethyl butenolides are optimal ligands for karrikin receptor proteins
Yao, J., Scaffidi, A., Meng, Y., Melville, K. T., Komatsu, A., Khosla, A., Nelson, D. C., Kyozuka, J., Flematti, G. R. & Waters, M. T., 21 Jan 2021, (E-pub ahead of print) In: New Phytologist.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access7 Citations (Web of Science) -
Divergent receptor proteins confer responses to different karrikins in two ephemeral weeds
Sun, K., Yao, J., Scaffidi, A., Melville, K., Davies, S., Bond, C. S., Smith, S. M., Flematti, G. & Waters, M., 1 Dec 2020, In: Nature Communications. 11, 1, 1264.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access14 Citations (Scopus)41 Downloads (Pure) -
Lotus japonicus karrikin receptors display divergent ligand-binding specificities and organ-dependent redundancy
Carbonnel, S., Torabi, S., Griesmann, M., Bleek, E., Tang, Y., Buchka, S., Basso, V., Shindo, M., Boyer, F-D., Wang, T., Udvardi, M., Waters, M. & Gutjahr, C., 28 Dec 2020, (E-pub ahead of print) In: PLoS Genetics. 16, 12, e1009249.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access11 Citations (Web of Science)
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Towards building a carbon dioxide foundry
Fritz, G., Waters, M., Chooi, H., Millar, H., Bond, C., Low, P., Stubbs, K., Stewart, S. & Moggach, S.
15/02/22 → 15/08/22
Project: Research
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From energy stress to hormones: new signals in bacteria and plants
Waters, M., Flematti, G. & Fritz, G.
1/04/21 → 31/03/24
Project: Research
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Interactions Between Light and Smoke Signals in Plant Development
1/01/20 → 30/06/22
Project: Research
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Smoke-derived karrikins reveal a new pathway for plant development
Flematti, G., Waters, M., Dixon, K., Merritt, D. & Perez Fernandez, M.
1/01/16 → 31/12/19
Project: Research