Prof. James Brown has been awarded the 2025 BSPP Honorary Membership in recognition of his outstanding contributions to plant pathology. Nominated by Prof Matt Dickinson (Nottingham), James now joins an esteemed list of Plant Pathologists who receive free lifetime membership to our society.
Professor James Brown first joined the board of BSPP in 1997 as an elected member and immediately became the newsletter editor (a position he held for 7 years), and was instrumental in pioneering BSPP’s on-line publications. James then became a vice-president in 2010 and was President of the Society in 2012, where he introduced a number of new initiatives and held a very successful presidential meeting in Norwich on ‘Fitness Costs and Trade-Offs in Plant Disease’, which formed the basis for a special issue of Plant Pathology. He was also an editor for Plant Pathology for 24 years, and has remained a strong supporter of the journal. James’ scientific contribution at the John Innes Centre has been impressive, with a focus on the evolution of fungal plant pathogens. He strongly believes in the making research in plant pathology relevant to disease control strategies, including breeding for durable resistance. For many years he has worked on cereal powdery mildews, Septoria and rusts, and most recently he has been involved in work on ash dieback and Dutch elm disease. He has contributed significantly to the success of the Society, the Journals and to UK plant pathology research and I believe these contributions merit the award of Honorary Membership.
Submitted by
Prof. Matthew Dickinson
BSPP President Elect and Chair of the Fellowship Committee
