Please see my research group website for getting more updated information.
Since September 2020 I have my research group at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne. We are studying multicellular dynamics in plant development, with a particular focus on cellular pattern formation and on developmental transitions in plants. In our lab use combined theoretical and experimental approaches. Please feel free to contact me if you are willing to do a Master project, a PhD or postdoc in this field.
At the moment we do not have any PhD nor postdoc available positions, but feel free to contact me to discuss about future opportunities.
During my postdoctoral research, I was particularly interested in tackling different dynamic aspects of cell signalling and patterning at the tissue, cellular and subcellular levels in plants through both theory and experiments. My approach consisted of using quantitative time-lapse microscopy of key fluorescent reporters in plant tissues and cell cultures together with mathematical modelling.
In my previous research during my PhD, I studied from a theoretical perspective some signalling mechanisms leading to spatial pattern formation of different cell types in animal and plant developing tissues. Specifically, my research focused on deciphering how certain kinds of salt-and-pepper patterns do emerge, typical for instance of sensory cells. These patterns are governed by the lateral inhibition effect mediated by Notch signalling. Besides, I studied other kinds of cellular patterns in the Arabidopsis thaliana plant in which the plant hormone auxin plays an important role.
An ABA-GA bistable switch can account for natural variation in the variability of Arabidopsis seed germination time. Katie Abley*, Pau Formosa-Jordan*, Hugo Tavares, Emily YT Chan, Mana Afsharinafar, Ottoline Leyser*, James C.W. Locke (2021) eLife; 10:e59485. Link (* denotes equal contributors)
Nitrate modulates stem cell dynamics in Arabidopsis shoot meristems through cytokinins. Benoit Landrein, Pau Formosa-Jordan, Alice Malivert, Christoph Schuster, Charles W. Melnyk, Weibing Yang, Colin Turnbull, Elliot M. Meyerowitz, James C.W. Locke, Henrik Jönsson (2018) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA. 115:1382-1387. Link
Redundancy and cooperation in Notch intercellular signaling. Juan C. Luna-Escalante, Pau Formosa-Jordan and Marta Ibañes (2018) Development, 145. Link
Fluctuations of the transcription factor ATML1 generate the pattern of giant cells in the Arabidopsis sepal. Heather M Meyer*, José Teles*, Pau Formosa-Jordan*, Yassin Refahi, Rita San- Bento, Gwyneth Ingram, Henrik Jönsson, James C. W. Locke and Adrienne HK Roeder (2017) eLife, 10.7554/eLife.19131 (* denotes equal contributors). Link, PDF, Figs and Supp Figs
eLife digest in the following link.
F1000 recommendation article by David Smyth. Link
Auxin influx carriers control vascular patterning and xylem differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Norma Fàbregas*, Pau Formosa-Jordan*, Ana Confraria*, Riccardo Siligato, Jose M. Alonso, Ranjan Swarup, Malcolm J. Bennett, Ari Pekka Mähönen, Ana I. Caño-Delgado and Marta Ibañes (2015) PLoS Genetics, 11(4): e1005183. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1005183 (* denotes equal contributors). Link, PDF, Supp Info
Pattern Selection by Dynamical Biochemical Signals. David Palau-Ortin, Pau Formosa-Jordan, José M. Sancho and Marta Ibañes (2015) Biophysical Journal, vol.108, 6, 1555-1565. Link
Comment by Peter Ashwin and Alexey Zaikin in Biophysical Journal. Link
Ligand-dependent Notch signaling strength orchestrates lateral induction and lateral inhibition in the developing inner ear. Jelena Petrovic*, Pau Formosa-Jordan*, Juan C. Luna-Escalante, Gina Abelló, Marta Ibañes, Joana Neves and Fernando Giraldez (2014) Development, 141, 2313-2324. (* denotes equal contributors) Link
F1000 recommendation article by Azel Zine and Nicolas Daudet. Link
Competition in Notch Signaling with Cis Enriches Cell Fate Decisions. Pau Formosa-Jordan and Marta Ibañes (2014) PLoS ONE, vol. 9(4) p. e95744. Link, PDF
Lateral inhibition and neurogenesis: novel aspects in motion. Pau Formosa-Jordan, Marta Ibañes, Saúl Ares and José María Frade (2013) International Journal of Developmental Biology, 57:341-350. Link
Regulation of neuronal differentiation at the neurogenic wavefront. Pau Formosa-Jordan, Marta Ibañes, Saúl Ares and José María Frade (2012) Development, 139, 2321-2329. Link, PDF, Supplementary Material
Article highlighted in "This issue" section in Development. Link
Diffusible ligand and lateral inhibition dynamics for pattern formation. Pau Formosa-Jordan and Marta Ibañes (2009) Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment P03019. Link, PDF
An ABA-GA bistable switch can account for natural variation in the variability of Arabidopsis seed germination time. Katie Abley*, Pau Formosa-Jordan*, Hugo Tavares, Emily Chan, Ottoline Leyser*, James C.W. Locke (2020) bioRxiv. Link (* denotes equal contributors)
Nitrate modulates stem cell dynamics by regulating WUSCHEL expression through cytokinins. Benoit Landrein, Pau Formosa-Jordan, Alice Malivert, Christoph Schuster, Charles W. Melnyk, Weibing Yang, Colin Turnbull, Elliot M. Meyerowitz, James C.W. Locke, Henrik Jönsson (2017) bioRxiv. Link
Book chapter: Single-cell approaches for understanding morphogenesis using Computational Morphodynamics. Pau Formosa-Jordan*, José Teles*, Henrik Jönsson (2018). In: Morris R. (eds) Mathematical Modelling in Plant Biology. Springer, Cham. Link
Book chapter: Experimental and Theoretical Methods to Approach the Study of Vascular Patterning in the Plant Shoot. Norma Fàbregas*, Pau Formosa-Jordan*, Marta Ibañes and Ana I. Caño-Delgado (2017) In "Xylem - Methods and Protocols", Methods in Molecular Biology, ed. M. de Lucas and J. Peter Etchells. Springer Science+Business Media, New York. (* denotes equal contributors) Link
Book chapter: Modeling Notch signaling: a practical tutorial. Pau Formosa-Jordan and David Sprinzak (2014) In "Notch Signaling - Methods and Protocols", Methods in Molecular Biology, 1187:285-310 ed. H. Bellen and S. Yamamoto. Springer Science+Business Media, New York. Link
Ph.D. Thesis: Pattern formation through lateral inhibition mediated by Notch signaling. Pau Formosa-Jordan (2013). Link, PDF
University press about our article on how Nitrate influence stem cell dynamics in this link , and summary in the SLCU website in this link (2018).
Blog post: How a cell becomes giant: a fluctuation-driven patterning mechanism. Heather M Meyer, José Teles, Pau Formosa-Jordan (2017). The Node. Link
University press about the distinction "XIX Premi Claustre de Doctors" I have been awarded (link in Catalan and Spanish; 2015).
News about the Herchel Smith award I received (2015).
University press about our article on lateral induction and lateral inhibition in the inner ear (link in English, Catalan and Spanish ; 2014) .
Newspaper (La Vanguardia) talking about our work in Spanish (2014; link of the same article in the EFE agency).
Interview by Oren Shaya in his blog on popular science, in Hebrew (2012)
University press about our article on neurogenic wavefronts in this link (2012)
University press about the 1st Flash Talk Meeting in this link, in Spanish (2012)