Senior Lecturer
Animal and Plant Sciences
University of Sheffield
United Kingdom
BSc (1984) Imperial College of Science and Technology, London PhD (1988) University of Cambridge European Molecular Biology Fellow, University of California Los Angeles (1988-1991) Lecturer, Dept. Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield (1991-2003) Senior Lecturer, Dept. Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield (2004-present) Director of Teaching, Dept. Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield (2008-2015 )
My research focuses on plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses using biological imaging techniques. I lead the P3 Wolfson Centre for Plant Disease Phenomics where we use high-throughput imaging to explore quantitative resistance to plant diseases. We use chlorophyll fluorescence and multi-spectral imaging to quantify disease development and the impact on host plants. Current projects are focussed on diseases of Brassicas including clubroot and light leaf spot. My group also looks at microbial communities in natural environments using metagenomic approaches. This includes plant pathogen populations but also the root microbiome and degradation of xenobiotics in contaminated environments. Work in my group is funded by the BBSRC, the Wolfson Foundation, Bayer Crop Sciences, Shell Aviation and Airbus.