Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria

Eshchar Mizrachi is a Senior Lecturer in Genetics and a group leader for systems biology modelling of wood formation in the FMG Programme. His research focus deals with understanding the molecular biology of polysaccharide metabolism, especially cellulose and xylan, during wood formation in Eucalyptus trees. Cellulose is an important raw material for many current commercial high-end value derivatives, and tree species such as Eucalyptus are an important source of cellulose worldwide. The forestry industry is also becoming an important potential resource for renewable bioenergy. A greater understanding of carbon metabolic flux and utilization in secondary cell wall biosynthesis in plants is key to developing successful biotechnology solutions in the future to trees and other biomass-related crops.

He is also very interested in the evolution of land plants, pertaining especially to vasculature and secondary cell wall deposition, as well as synthetic biology and its potential for novel applications in crop biotechnology.