I aim to advance the knowledge of how and why plants make chemical compounds (i.e. specialized metabolites), allowing us to create crops for the future and high-value compounds, to help improving the lives of people and to develop a more sustainable society. To tackle this, I use a cross-disciplinary approach combining molecular biology, biochemistry and cutting-edge genomics and transcriptomics to study plants’ genes, together with metabolomics to explore their chemical diversity. Currently I am investigating the biosynthesis and regulation of anti-nutritional and insect-deterrent saponins. Altogether, I aim to acquire a deep understanding of life sciences and become a leading, independent and multidisciplinary researcher.