I’m a member of Lars Østergaard’s group and use both model plants species (Arabidopsis thaliana) and crop plants such as peas (Pisum) to investigate the role of phytohormones in regulating plant growth and development.
Peas, and other legumes, are important sustainable sources of plant-based proteins with most able to fix atmospheric nitrogen and therefore reduce agriculture fertiliser inputs. Compared to some other forms of agriculture, plant-based protein production has a lower carbon footprint, requires less water, and reduces land use.
Previously, I was a member of Nick Harberd’s group from 2006 until he retired in 2023. My research with Nick focused primarily on DNA mutations and using next-generation sequencing technologies to determine how environment factors such as temperature, radiation, and soil salinity influence genome evolution. In addition, we showed the genomic consequences of lacking the well-known DNA mismatch repair (MMR) mechanism in mutation accumulation (MA) lines of Arabidopsis thaliana.
Other departmental roles:
- Plant growth facilities manager
- Lecturer
- Tutor
- Biology degree 1st year Research Skills convenor
Committee membership:
- Facilities Committee
- Genetic Modification Safety Committee
