New group leader joining TSL: Aileen Berasategui
We are delighted to announce that Dr Aileen Berasategui will be joining The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL), Norwich, as a new Group Leader in 2026. Aileen brings a fresh perspective to our research institute with her group’s focus on plant–insect–fungal interactions.
Aileen Berasategui, currently an Assistant Professor in Ecology and Evolution at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, is driven to understand how certain phytopathogenic fungi can also act as allies to insects, and to uncover the molecular mechanisms that enables them to switch between these roles.
“We are really excited that Aileen is joining us at TSL." says Executive Director, Professor Nick Talbot, "She is an exceptionally talented scientist and brings completely new expertise to TSL in plant-insect-fungal interactions."
"These tripartite interactions are fascinating, and Aileen aims to determine mechanisms of cross-kingdom communication among plants, insects, and fungi to understand how these affect plant health, insect herbivory and microbial pathogenesis. This is ground-breaking research that will be of enormous potential value in future.”
About Aileen
Originally from Torrelavega, Spain, Aileen studied Biology at the University of Oviedo and spent a formative year in Bremen, Germany, through the Erasmus programme, later completing a master’s degree in Ecology.
Aileen earned her PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, under the supervision of Dr. Jonathan Gershenzon, investigating how gut microbes help the large pine weevil (Hylobius abietis) detoxify plant defensive compounds. Her postdoctoral research took her to Emory University in Atlanta with Dr. Nicole Gerardo, and then to the University of Tübingen with Dr. Nadine Ziemert, where she explored the evolution of biosynthetic gene clusters and ecological roles of Escovopsis and related fungi which are pathogens of leaf-cutter ant gardens.
In 2024, Aileen was awarded a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant for her project SymPathy
(“Cross-kingdom symbionts: plant pathogens as insect symbionts”), which investigates the molecular and chemical mechanisms underlying fungal dual lifestyles, host-microbe specificity, host shifts, and the evolution of insect-mediated pathogen transmission.
She believes that The Sainsbury Laboratory’s strength in plant–microbe interactions and its culture of collaboration across molecular biology, genetics, and evolutionary research offers both the infrastructure and the intellectual environment to pursue ambitious, cross-disciplinary questions at the intersection of these fields where she sees her group’s work.
The Berasategui group
At TSL, the Berasategui group will map the molecular dialogue between fungi, insects, and plants - identifying the genes, pathways, and metabolites that allow a fungal strain to support its insect host while retaining the ability to infect plant tissue. By integrating comparative genomics, functional assays, and metabolomics, Aileen’s team will link molecular traits to ecological outcomes and explore the evolutionary plasticity of symbioses. These insights will have broad relevance for sustainable pest and disease management.
“I am thrilled to be joining The Sainsbury Laboratory.” says Aileen, “It’s rare to find an institute where one can dissect molecular mechanisms in such depth while keeping ecological and evolutionary context in view. I look forward to engaging with colleagues studying plant immunity and microbial adaptation, and to contributing a complementary perspective that brings insects and their symbionts into the dialogue.”
Aileen is also looking forward to new collaborations and fresh ideas, “I’m very excited to become a part of the wider Norwich Research Park community and to contribute to this vibrant and inspiring research environment.”
Aileen's appointment coincides with the recruitment of Dr Hassan Salem, another expert in plant-insect interactions, who will join our neighbouring institute, the John Innes Centre, as a group leader in February 2026.
Nick Talbot says “I am pleased to see JIC making a synergistic new hire of Hassan as a new Group Leader in plant-insect interactions. This strengthens critical mass in this area building upon the work in Saskia Hogenhout’s research group and our appointment of Aileen, thereby facilitating new and exciting collaborations between TSL and JIC."
