From 1986 until 1991 he performed diploma and doctoral studies in the laboratory of Dietrich Werner on chemical communication of the root with the bacterial microbiome with a focus on flavonoids and isoflavonoids.
As the head of the Institute of Genetics at the Faculty of Biology of the LMU Munich, Martin Parniske teaches students at the Bachelor, Master and Doctoral (Dr. rer.
The TRR356 employs a unique and novel strategy as it uses natural genetic variation as a source of discovery and a tool to decipher molecular mechanisms of plant biotic interactions.
The outcome of this encounter is determined by various molecular actors such as chemical signals, nutrient fluxes, macromolecules and/or toxins, which are all subject to evolutionary change.
The resulting diversity of genetic determinants of plant biotic interactions constitutes a molecular treasure for discovering new genes and their variants, understanding their function, and using them to improve symbiosis and pathogen defense.
Parniske also contributes with the project "Sequence adaptation of Symbiosis Receptor-like Kinase (SymRK) enabling nitrogen-fixing root nodule development" to the TRR356.
[11][12] During his doctoral work Parniske observed that incompatible genotypes of soybean and rhizobia can lead to the induction of defense responses inside root nodules including the accumulation of phytoalexins, plant toxins produced upon biotic stress.