Prof. Isabel Monte is a Junior Professor at the ZMBP, University of Tübingen, where she leads the Evolution of Plant Signaling Lab since 2022. Her lab focuses on two main research lines: the evolution of receptor kinases signaling in land plants and the evolution of molecular plant-microbe interactions (EvoMPMI). The aim is to better understand plant receptor kinase-mediated mechanisms to perceive information from the extracellular space and transduce those signals through intracellular signaling pathways. In 2024 she was awarded an ERC StG (FRIENEMIES) to investigate the molecular mechanisms mediating different interactions between fungi and diverse land plants.