In our series #NextGen Signalling Scientists, we spotlight Early Career Researchers shaping the future of signalling science at CIBSS. This feature highlights molecular plant biologist Rim Chaudhury, a researcher at the Institute of Biology II/III at the Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg in the group of Jun. Prof. Dr. Sjon Hartman.

If your research in biological signalling studies were an object, image, or even a metaphor, what would it be?

If I had to define my research as a metaphor, I’d imagine plants having a built-in weather forecast tool. This internal system allows them to sense mechanical cues (like touch or rain) and prepare for potentially harsh conditions ahead. More specifically, raindrops help plants to cope with future flooding by activating specific signalling cascades.

In my experiments, I mimic rain by priming the plants briefly with water spray. Such plants survive a consequent flooding event better than unprimed plants. They also lose less weight as a consequence of the stressful flooding. This means that rain helps plants get ready for what’s coming. We are currently investigating whether this response truly depends on mechanosensation or is simply due to becoming wet.

Sometimes, research doesn’t go as planned, but “happy accidents” can lead to surprising insights. Have you experienced a moment when things didn’t work out as expected but led to an unexpected discovery?

One of the most surprising findings came from a simple but curious question: Do plants ‘remember’ rain? While I cannot term it as an ‘accident’, I would still consider this as an experiment I did not invest much in. I had plants growing on the side for experiments I had not planned in detail yet. One day, I wondered whether plants could ‘forget’ over time that they had experienced rain. I set up an experiment and gradually increased the time between rain (water spray) and flooding, expecting absolutely nothing. However, I discovered something fascinating: plants quickly lost the advantage of having experienced rain if flooding didn’t follow soon after.

This finding reveals a clever adaptive strategy—plants conserve energy by switching off stress signalling as soon as possible. Interestingly, it also explains some earlier inconsistencies in our data: rather than experimental error, it turned out to be a simple timing issue. In a way, what began as an accidental observation reshaped how we design our experiments today. In brief, plant priming, similar to our memory, has a biological logic behind when to remember and when to let go of the primed state.

Looking Forward: What’s next in your research journey? What makes this significant for the broader research landscape?

Our next step is to test whether we can rewire plant signalling so that every rain event automatically enhances flood readiness. We use genetics to link mechanical cue sensing to the molecular hypoxia response—the response to a lack of oxygen—, and hopefully, flooding tolerance. Our idea would be to test whether hypoxia signalling caused by rain can lead to improved fitness of plants in natural conditions. In the long run, we aim to extend this concept to crops such as potatoes and tomatoes, potentially offering a new way to enhance resilience and contribute to global food security in a changing climate.