Source: European Union 2 Published on: 2026-05-21
Our May MSCA Fellow of the Month is Aldo Ricardo Almeida Robles. His work bridges moss and trees to explore how wood is made.
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Aldo Ricardo Almeida Robles, 2026
MSCA Fellow of the Month
This month, we spotlight Aldo Ricardo Almeida Robles, an MSCA postdoctoral fellow at the Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes (IBMP) in France, linked to the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS).
He works on the LigMo project, which aims to identify the genes that give wood its strength and eventually alleviate the rising pressure on the world’s forests.
Wood has established roles in several industries and, as a renewable resource, is an ideal replacement for petroleum, but the increasing demand for it is putting more pressure on forests. LigMo aims to relieve that pressure by replacing wood in certain applications.
Wood has established roles in several industries and, as a renewable resource, is an ideal replacement for petroleum, but the increasing demand for it is putting more pressure on forests. LigMo aims to relieve that pressure by replacing wood in certain applications.
Lignin is the macromolecule that makes wood hard. Due to the genetic complexity of trees, understanding how it is produced remains a challenge. To tackle this, Aldo works with Physcomitrium patens, a moss that carries many of the same genes trees use to build lignin but never makes any itself.
By systematically engineering the moss with genes from trees, he aims to identify the minimal set of genes required to produce lignin and to develop new biomaterials that could replace wood in certain applications.
By transforming moss with genes from trees, we can unravel how lignin is made and one day “woodify” moss to substitute wood.
By transforming moss with genes from trees, we can unravel how lignin is made and one day “woodify” moss to substitute wood.
Building a career across borders with MSCA support
Aldo is fascinated by how genes shape the colours, scents and forms of living creatures.
After completing an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry in Mexico, he studied the genes influencing pungency in chilis at West Virginia State University in the United States.
The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship has allowed me to develop my own independent ideas while establishing contacts in the industrial sector to drive the discoveries I make into the European market.
The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship has allowed me to develop my own independent ideas while establishing contacts in the industrial sector to drive the discoveries I make into the European market.
Aldo’s outreach has carried his science across two continents. With the Mexican Embassy in Denmark and Museum MUREL in Mexico, he developed “Migrating roots,” an exhibition pairing roots in petri dishes with a map tracing an academic migration journey.
He has also led school workshops on phytochemicals at the European School in Denmark and the Federico Froebel School in Mexico, introducing students to how plant chemistry shapes the scents they encounter every day.
Aldo is a member of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA).
He encourages MSCA fellows to join the Association at the start of their fellowships to make the most of their experience.
Enrol in the MCAA early at the start of your MSCA programme to make the most of your experience.
Enrol in the MCAA early at the start of your MSCA programme to make the most of your experience.
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