ALEX EVANS, IN CONVERSATION WITH... LIANA ACEVEDO-SIACA

Have you always been interested in plants?

My dad is a botanist, so plants have always been part of my life. When I was little, I would often accompany him on field expeditions around Puerto Rico and apparently there are even some plant specimens in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum that were collected by me! Even so, I aspired to do something different and originally applied to study Environmental Science at Cornell University. But I had the great luck of signing up for a course in plant breeding and genetics that changed my entire trajectory. I was so inspired by how fundamental plant research in the lab and field could ultimately be leveraged to improve crops, give people better livelihoods and help build a better world that literally, within a week, I switched to study Plant Sciences.

Tell us about your PhD

I undertook my Masters and PhD at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, supervised by Stephen Long. Working on rice, my key focus was to understand how photosynthesis responds to fluctuating light conditions and the factors—whether physiological, biochemical or diffusional— that limit this. As part of this, I assessed the natural variation in photosynthetic responses o fluctuating light conditions across a range of commercial varieties, landraces and wild rice relatives.1,2

Most photosynthesis research has historically been conducted under steady-state light conditions, despite the fact this is rarely the case in “real-world” conditions. Identifying heritable traits that enable plants to maintain a high photosynthetic efficiency under fluctuating light could therefore be an untapped opportunity for crop improvement programmes. In rice, for instance, the strongest limiting factor at the beginning of the process of photosynthetic induction appears to be biochemistry, which offers a focal point for improvement in the future.3,4

What happened next?

I continued at the University of Illinois as a postdoctoral researcher with the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) Project, where I worked on a few projects examining water use efficiency in tobacco transformants.5,6 Then in January 2021, I took up a position as Associate Scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico. I was working as part of the Global Wheat Program, with a focus on identifying ways to improve wheat productivity under heat and drought conditions by studying photosynthesis.7

During this time, I became very interested in how wheat spikes contribute to overall wheat productivity, and worked on a few projects examining how different photosynthetic properties of leaves and wheat spikes in diverse wheat germplasm responded to long-term heat stress.

Did you enjoy living in Mexico?

Absolutely—I completely fell in love with the country. Everything from the food to the music, to the art and literature, to the history and landscapes. I particularly enjoyed the pace of life, being able to grab a coffee and sit in a plaza or park, watching the world pass by and ending up talking to complete strangers and learning about their lives. It doesn’t happen so much here in the States! The only thing that wasn’t great was the traffic in Mexico City, but everything else made up for it.

In October 2022, you moved to your current position as a postdoctoral researcher at Michigan State University DOE Plant Research Laboratory. What are you researching now?

The aim of this project is to quantify the cost of photoprotection to photosynthesis in plants grown under “real-world” conditions. I am using chlorophyll fluorescence techniques to better understand plant responses to fluctuating light

Far Left

Liana Acevedo-Siaca in a wheat field at the CIMMYT Sanjaya Rajaram Experimental Station in Toluca, Mexico

Photo credit: Carolina Rivera Left

Liana Acevedo-Siaca in a wheat field at the CIMMYT Sanjaya Rajaram Experimental Station in Toluca, Mexico

Photo credit: Claire Benjamin conditions, particularly regarding energy transfer and balance in C3 photosynthesis. In addition, I’m also starting up a new project to assess the feasibility of incorporating photosynthetic traits into breeding programmes to improve crop resilience and yields.

Why do you enjoy being part of the SEB? What is really unique and powerful about the SEB is how it brings together plant, animal and cell sciences. So often we can feel segmented into just one of these areas, but at the SEB conferences you have an opportunity to really see how they intersect. I’ve found myself very inspired after attending a completely unrelated session, for instance on animal biomechanics or cellular regulation. I am looking forward to the 2023 Annual Conference in Edinburgh, where I am helping to organise a session on Plant Biology for Sustainability and another on 100 Years of Plant Biology in SEB.

You say that mentorship is very important for you. Could you explain more?

I know that part of the reason that I am here today was because others took the time to offer their guidance, advocate for me and connect me to opportunities. It has made a big difference to my career, and I hope I can be that person for others. More widely, I strongly believe that the way we treat our colleagues has a big impact on creating a working environment that is deeply rewarding, in both a professional and personal manner. We may not be able to control many external things, such as funding and regulation, but the way we relate to others is always within our control.

What has been the best advice ever given to you?

I think the best piece of advice I received was from a Professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico who told me that I should always focus on doing what makes me happy. In a world where we are constantly being measured by the number of publications we have, the funding we receive and how many citations we have, it’s important to remember that there is a life outside of work as well and that our personal happiness is inherently valuable.

Career is important, but you have to put your personal happiness and wellbeing first or you won’t be able to succeed anywhere.

Another important lesson I have learnt is that we mustn’t be afraid of taking a risk or failing. Even if something doesn’t work out, you can always refocus and change direction, and the experience can be a powerful opportunity to learn and develop.

What do you do to relax?

I have a big love for Latin American literature, from classics to contemporary, and just books in general. Recently, I’ve especially enjoyed books by Eduardo Lalo, Ana Teresa Toro and Alvaro Uribe. In terms of non-fiction books, Maria Ressa’s “How to Stand up to a Dictator” was deeply impactful and something I recommend everyone to read, especially those of us who work in science and with how facts are generated and presented.

What would your younger self think of what you are doing now?

She would be very surprised, I think. Growing up, I hardly had any exposure to agriculture, so working in this kind of field was not something that I could have ever imagined. However, I feel very thankful that I have the opportunity to try and work towards more efficient and sustainable agricultural systems through my research. It’s something that I find deeply rewarding and that I hope that I can work towards for many more years into the future.

You can learn more about Liana’s work by following her on Twitter: @Liana_Ace

References:

1. Acevedo-Siaca LG, Coe R, Quick WP, et al. Evaluating natural variation, heritability, and genetic advance of photosynthetic traits in rice (Oryza sativa). Plant Breeding 2021; 140: 745–757.

2. Acevedo-Siaca LG, Dionora J, Laza R, et al. Dynamics of photosynthetic induction and relaxation within the canopy of rice and two wild relatives. Food and Energy Security 2021; 10: e286.

3. Acevedo-Siaca LG, Coe R, Quick WP, et al. Variation between rice accessions in photosynthetic induction in flag leaves and underlying mechanisms. J Exp Bot 2021; 72: 1282–1294.

4. Acevedo-Siaca LG, Coe R, Wang Y, et al. Variation in photosynthetic induction between rice accessions and its potential for improving productivity. New Phytol 2020; 227: 1097–1108.

5. Ruiz-Vera UM, AcevedoSiaca LG, Brown KL, et al. Field-grown ictB tobacco transformants show no difference in photosynthetic efficiency for biomass relative to the wild type. J Exp Bot 2022; 73: 4897–4907.

6. Acevedo-Siaca LG, Głowacka K, Driever SM, et al. Guard-celltargeted overexpression of Arabidopsis Hexokinase 1 can improve water use efficiency in field-grown tobacco plants. J Exp Bot 2022; 73: 5745–5757.

7. Murchie EH, Reynolds M, Slafer GA, et al. A ‘wiring diagram’ for source strength traits impacting wheat yield potential. J Exp Bot 2023; 74: 72–90.