Anja Werz

PhD student (since May 2026)

I am a young microbiologist interested in plant-microbe interactions and plastic. I completed both my Bachelor and Master at ETH Zürich in Switzerland, where I worked with synthetic microbial communities and studied opportunistic pathogens in Arabidopsis. Following my dream to visit Canada, I completed an internship in the Labo Laforest-Lapointe after my studies, working with the apple tree microbiome. Back in Switzerland, I worked as a Scientific Assistant at the Swiss Federal Institute WSL to explore my scientific interests by studying plastic degrading bacteria isolated from permafrost-affected soils. And after almost three long years, I’m finally back at the Labo Laforest-Lapointe for my PhD :)

Plastics have conquered our everyday lives, and it is impossible to imagine life without plastic. Plastic waste has been found in all locations on earth, from remote places in the arctic to the deepest valleys to the highest mountains. The impact of plastics on the environment has been studied relatively extensively in aquatic ecosystems. However, plastics in the terrestrial environment such as agricultural soils, and its impact on plants and the soil microbiome has been relatively understudied. In my project I will work with the model plant Arabidopsis and synthetic microbial communities to decipher microbial community dynamics in the rhizosphere. My goal is to assess the impact of plastic pollution in soils, especially biodegradable plastics, on plant fitness, microbe-microbe and plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere.

When I’m not in the lab, I like to explore the nature of Québec while fishing, hiking or stand-up paddling, work out in the gym or watch horror movies. And I always like to eat.

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Anja.Werz[@]USherbrooke.ca