The BSPP wishes to encourage and reward undergraduate students interested in plant pathology through our Undergraduate Research and Exam Prizes.
Each year, participating institutions are asked to nominate their best student or students for two separate awards; the BSPP prize for best undergraduate research in plant pathology and the BSPP prize for examination performance in plant pathology. All nominated students are awarded a small prize and a certificate to celebrate their achievements, and are entered into our national competition.
The BSPP are proud to announce the winners, nominated by UK universities (and other higher education institutions offering Level 6 courses) throughout the country.
For our overall UK prizes our congratulations go to:
Sophie Folkard (University of Plymouth)
The BSPP prize for best undergraduate research in plant pathology (2024) – For best dissertation, literature review or research project.
Sophie won this award for her research project “Can LAMP shed a light on Magnaporthe oryzae growth strategies?” in the third year of a BSc in Biological Sciences at the University of Plymouth.
Nominated by Dr George Littlejohn
Alice McCallister (Canterbury Christ Church University)
The BSPP prize for examination performance in plant pathology (2024) – For best performance in an exam paper or module.
Alice won this award for her exceptional exam performance in the module ‘Plant Pests and Pathogens’ whilst studying for a BSc in Plant Sciences at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Nominated by Dr Alec Forsyth
Winners of University Nominated Prizes
Evan Slater for best undergraduate research in plant pathology at the University of Oxford (2024).
Evan Slater for best undergraduate research in plant pathology at the University of Oxford (2024).Evan was nominated for this dissertation ‘The P69 subtilase family affects the outcome of Phytophthora infestans infection in tomato
Nominated by Prof. Renier van der Hoorn
Ollie Donaldson for best undergraduate research in plant pathology at the University of Cambridge (2024)
Ollie Donaldson for best undergraduate research in plant pathology at the University of Cambridge (2024)Ollie was nominated for his third year project “How quantisation impacts stochastic epidemic modelling in plants when using a SIR framework”
Nominated by Prof. Nik Cunniffe
Joshua Pennock for best undergraduate research in plant pathology at Royal Holloway University of London (2024).
Joshua Pennock for best undergraduate research in plant pathology at Royal Holloway University of London (2024).Joshua was nominated for his third year research project ‘LPMO1 gene expression in Podosphaera xanthii’.
Nominated by Dr Enrique Lopez and Dr Laurence Bindschedler#
Cameron Goh for best examination performance in plant pathology at the University of Cambridge (2024).
Cameron Goh for best examination performance in plant pathology at the University of Cambridge (2024).Cameron was nominated for his performance in plant pathology topics within the ‘Plant and Microbial Sciences’ module.
Nominated by Prof. Nik Cunniffe
Freya Sorenti for best undergraduate research in plant pathology at the University of Birmingham (2024).
Freya was nominated for her project on ‘Saprophytic Solutions: Evaluating Biocontrol Strategies Against Armillaria under Elevated CO2 and Their Influence on Soil Nutrient Dynamics’
Nominated by Dr Megan McDonald
Gina Mackie for best examination performance in plant pathology at the University of Nottingham (2024).
Gina was nominated for her performance in the ‘Plant Pathology’ module.
Nominated by Prof. Rumiana Ray
