Patterns and Shapes - A Study of Computational Methods in Plant Morphogenesis

PhD defence by Lars Erik Johnsen Skjegstad

Assessment Committee

Associate Professor Namiko Mitarai, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen (Chairperson)
Associate Professor Kaare Hartvig Jensen, Biophysics and Fluids Section, Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Professor Maciej Lisicki, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw

Supervisors

Associate Professor Ala Trusina
Postdoc Julius Bier Kirkegaard

Department

Niels Bohr Institute

Place

Building: HCØ, Room: Aud 02, Universitetsparken 5, 2100 København

Email address to gain access to the thesis: lars.erik.skjegstad@nbi.ku.dk.
You will either receive a copy of the thesis or be informed where you can read a physical copy.
Recipients of copies of the thesis are not allowed to share or distribute it due to copyright compliance.

Short description of the thesis

How do plants develop their intricate shapes and structures? From the branching networks that transport water through leaves to the tissues that form flower petals, plant development arises from a myriad of biological processes interacting across different scales. This research uses computational methods to explore how these processes give rise to the forms we observe in plants. Techniques for efficiently building and optimizing these models, including automatic differentiation, facilitate the study of complex biological systems and their underlying mechanisms. By applying these approaches to leaf venation and flower development, the research demonstrates how computational modeling can help uncover the processes that shape plants.