BSPP Board Members

David B Collinge is professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Copenhagen, where he has worked since 1987. He is also on the board of DSPS – the tiny Danish Society for Pests and Diseases.

After a BSc (Hons) and PhD in genetics from Liverpool and Newcastle Upon Tyne, he moved first to Arhus University and subsequently to the (then) John Innes Institute in Norwich where his research interests on defence mechanisms in plants were kindled before moving to Copenhagen. This research interest led to many discoveries on the roles of different components of defences ranging from antimicrobial proteins to NAC transcription factors and CRK receptor-like protein kinases – and H₂O₂ – the DAB method. The potential application of that knowledge has led to efforts in explaining the means that biotechnological approaches, especially transgenic can be used to provide plant protection. Wiley published his book on this in 2016 and he is active in the public debate in Denmark.

David’s research group now focusses on the nature and biology of endophytes with the applied aspect of developing novel biological control agents for disease and abiotic stress tolerance.

David is also an active teacher from BSc to PhD level. Together with primarily Nordic Professors, he coauthored a new textbook “Plant pathology and Plant Diseases” in 2020, published by CABI. He is also chair of the PhD board at the Science Faculty which enrols approx 1000 PhD students.

Rob Jackson holds the BIFoR Chair in Tree Pathology at the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research/School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham. He has more than 25 years’ experience working on plant pathology problems. Research topics include the study of bacterial pathogenesis, most recently in tree pathology studying Horse Chestnut and Oak; the role of surfactants in bacterial motility and biocontrol; the identification and characterisation of bacteriophage for biocontrol; and analysis of how bacteria can kill aphids. He collaborates widely in both the UK and globally, and has delivered teaching and research seminars in diverse locations abroad. He has previously served BSPP as an elected board member and was involved in developing the outreach role. He is a Visiting Professor at the University of Reading, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Akureyri, Iceland, currently sits on the Action Oak Research & Monitoring sub-committee and serves as Senior Editor for Molecular Plant Pathology.

Prof. Gail Preston is a Lecturer in Plant-Microbe Interactions, Director of the BBSRC-funded Oxford Interdisciplinary Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership at the University of Oxford and Deputy Director of the University of Oxford’s Doctoral Training Centre. https://preston.web.ox.ac.uk/ 

She developed a fascination for plant pathology while studying Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, where she was encouraged to read E. C. Large’s classic (and highly recommended) history of plant pathology “The Advance of the Fungi” and introduced to the rapidly emerging field of molecular plant pathology. She studied for her doctorate under the inspiring mentorship of Prof. Alan Collmer at Cornell University, where she began to ask questions about the biology of plant pathogens that still inform her research today. How do environmental factors regulate pathogenicity and virulence mechanisms? How do pathogens manipulate the microenvironment inside host tissues? How does the environment inside and outside plants affect disease development?

She returned to the UK to study microbial gene function in the plant environment and in 2001 she was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. She now divides her time between interdisciplinary research into molecular plant-microbe interactions and supporting the career development of early career researchers.

Matt studied for his PhD in the Virus Research Department at the John Innes Centre in Norwich before moving to the CSIRO Division of Plant Industry in Canberra for three years as a research fellow to work on the cereal rust fungi. He then returned to the Sainsbury Laboratory at the John Innes Centre to work on resistance genes in tomato against Cladosporium fulvum before taking up his current appointment in 1992 as a lecturer in molecular plant pathology at the University of Nottingham. With the rust fungi remaining his primary area of interest, particularly the molecular basis of pathogenicity and the molecular genetics of the cereal rust fungi, he is also involved in a number of other projects on plant pathogenic fungi and also the Phytoplasmas, both at Nottingham and in collaborations particularly with IACR-Rothamsted. Matt joined the BSPP in the early 1990’s and has been to many of its Conferences over the years. 

My main interests are in the biology of insect crop pests and plant-virus-vector interactions. In particular on how findings from the lab can be translated and applied in the field to benefit farmers and growers alike. My current work is a BBSRC-funded project where my role is to investigate the biology and behavior of the spotted wing Drosophila, D. suzukii. D. suzukii is a major pest for soft and stone fruit production. Prior to joining NIAB EMR, I did my PhD with John Carr at the University of Cambridge. My previous research was focused on investigating how a plant virus manipulates the behavior of its insect vector, the aphids and how this may facilitate virus transmission. Lastly, I am a passionate about capacity building. I am actively involved to organise an annual molecular biology laboratory training workshops for African agricultural researcher in Cambridge and Benin Republic.

Area of Research Expertise: Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions focusing on pathogenic Pseudomonas specifically investigating the role of horizontal gene transfer in the evolution of pathogenicity. More recently I have also been carrying out research into tree pathogens, in particular the bacteria that are associated with Acute Oak Decline in the UK. 

I eventually got to plant pathology after completing a B.Sc. in Botany at the University of Aberdeen in 1975. An enjoyable four years at Leeds allowed me to complete my PhD on ash canker under the inspiring tutelage of Tom Preece. Then I headed East, for six years in Bangladesh and bamboo blight, courtesy of the Overseas Development Administration. From there I followed in the footsteps of quite a few others, completing two years of clove disease in Indonesia, again with ODA.

I thought I had exhausted the worlds never-heard of diseases but more excitement was in store when I joined NRI in 1991 and began to work on woody legume diseases in Central America. Gliricidia little leaf leapt out at me and Jill Lenn on day one of our first field trip and there began a long fascination with phytoplasma diseases.

By 1995 I decided that a change was needed (and also a slightly shorter journey to work) and was kindly accepted by the then International Mycological Institute, now CAB International. I had the privilege of leading an increasingly broad range of projects in terms of location, host and theme. I had already begun to straddle the divide between natural and social sciences in 1993 and in 1997 I was fortunate to meet with Jeffery Bentley, an agricultural anthropologist. This fruitful collaboration lasts to this day, sustained by an increasing flow of projects that target extension services and farmers as much as the plant diseases themselves.

I have worked with bamboo for rural development and also wild edible fungi but my main passion and interest now is the Global Plant Clinic. We range far and wide, combining expert laboratory diagnosis in all pest groups with new extension methods (Going Public) and, perhaps the most significant innovation, mobile or community plant clinics. With schemes in Bolivia, Uganda, Bangladesh and Nicaragua we are showing how good science can better serve the everyday needs of poor farmers in developing countries. The is important since the GPC is an alliance of CAB International, Rothamsted Research and the Central Science Laboratory and involves different organisations overseas who run the mobile clinics.

In a long and varied career that includes being (still) one of the founding editors of New Disease Record I am excited by the wider prospects for plant pathology and for improving access to plant health care. Therein lies the demand for more science and quality research to solve the never-ending stream of new diseases that arise and familiar ones that are neglected. Bring them on!

I am currently studying for my PhD at UWE Bristol, investigating Cocoa Swollen Shoot Disease pathogenesis and insect vector viral retention.

Stephen is an epidemiologist interested in the use of epidemiological models to inform surveillance and management strategies in plant health. He graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Ecological Science from the University of Edinburgh in 2001. In his final year dissertation he worked with Dr Gareth Hughes using GIS and spatial statistics to analyse data on citrus canker epidemics in Florida. In 2002 he began a PhD at Rothamsted and the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge in mathematical biology with Prof Chris Gilligan and Dr Frank van den Bosch. Stephens thesis focused on the population dynamics and management of fungicide resistance in crop protection.

Following this Stephen was a Postdoctoral researcher at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service in Florida where he worked under the supervision of Dr Tim Gottwald developing models of invasive diseases of citrus and worked closely with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to develop risk-based surveillance strategies for emerging pests and diseases.

In 2007 Stephen joined Rothamsted Research as a Research Scientist and epidemic modeller focusing on models of invasive plant pathogens with a practical focus on surveillance strategies for early detection of epidemics. In 2014 he joined the University of Salford, Manchester, where he is currently Reader in Spatial Epidemiology. Stephen is Senior editor of Phytopathology and a member of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Plant Health Panel where he advises the Commission on EU policy in plant health.

I am currently a senior postdoctoral researcher at School of Biological Sciences. I am passionate about biological control, crop protection, plant pathology, and plant-microbe interaction. Currently I am working on a ‘Horizon 2020 funded’ project in collaboration with scientists in other European countries. My research is on phage biocontrol to combat Pseudomonas syringae pathogens causing disease in cherry. In this research bacteriophages of cherry and plum trees in the UK were collected and used to control Pseudomonas syringe pathovars causing canker in vitro and in vivo. The phages were characterised using different methods, including whole genome sequencing. Using bioassays, selected phages could effectively reduce disease progression in vivo, both individually and in cocktails, reinforcing their potential as biocontrol agents in agriculture. The results of this research have been published in Microbial Biotechnology.

I also worked on a NERC funded project in collaboration with Royal Holloway University of London and CABI. My research was on community consequences of introducing a biological control agent to control populations of Himalayan balsam (a non-native invasive weed species), using next generation sequencing (NGS) to monitor microbial communities. Large number of samples and data were collected from several fields around the UK. Large scale mesocosm experiments were also conducted looking at plant-soil microbial interaction. Part of these results has been accepted for publication in Weed Research and another two more are under preparation.

My research provides important understanding on the use of biological control, as a more environmentally friendly alternative, which is becoming increasingly popular in plant protection.

Research areas

Biological control, plant pathology, plant-microbe interaction, molecular plant-microbe interaction, plant protection and microbial ecology.

Added in jan 2022

My research is aimed at understanding how aphids modify their host plants at the molecular level to enable successful infestations. Aphids are devastating plant sap-feeding insects. These insects cause direct feeding damage and transmit the majority of plant viruses, resulting in significant yield losses, particularly in staple food crops.

Aphid control relies on insecticides that are damaging to the environment and to which aphids can become resistant. To develop new control strategies we need to understand how these insects interact with plants at the cellular and molecular level.

Key questions herein are: Which plant cellular processes are perturbed by aphids and how does that enable infestation? What do aphids “inject” into host plants to establish successful infestations? Can we generate crops with durable aphid resistance while reducing insecticide usage?

Recent work suggests that aphids, like plant pathogens, secrete effectors into their host plants to manipulate host cell processes and impact the ability to infest plants. These effectors are produced in the aphid salivary glands and secreted into the host during aphid feeding.

My lab aims to identify and characterise these effectors from the aphid species to understand how they perturb plant cellular processes and promote host plant infestation.

Matt studied for his PhD in the Virus Research Department at the John Innes Centre in Norwich before moving to the CSIRO Division of Plant Industry in Canberra for three years as a research fellow to work on the cereal rust fungi. He then returned to the Sainsbury Laboratory at the John Innes Centre to work on resistance genes in tomato against Cladosporium fulvum before taking up his current appointment in 1992 as a lecturer in molecular plant pathology at the University of Nottingham. With the rust fungi remaining his primary area of interest, particularly the molecular basis of pathogenicity and the molecular genetics of the cereal rust fungi, he is also involved in a number of other projects on plant pathogenic fungi and also the Phytoplasmas, both at Nottingham and in collaborations particularly with IACR-Rothamsted. Matt joined the BSPP in the early 1990’s and has been to many of its Conferences over the years. 

Biography

Ph. D., 1986 University of Kentucky
B.S., 1980 University of London, Imperial College, England.

Research

The Dean lab is interested in understanding the mechanisms by which fungal plant pathogens recognize, invade and suppress host defense mechanisms. Dr. Dean’s research program primarily focuses on Magnaporthe oryzaethe causal agent of rice blast disease. Worldwide, this disease is estimated to kill enough rice annually to feed over 60 million people. Much work hascentered on the signaling pathways, particularly cAMP in regulating the initiation and development of appressorium formation, a specialized cell required by M. oryzaeand many other pathogenic fungi for attachment to and penetration of host tissues. Following completion of the genome sequence and deep transcriptional profiling, his research has focused on functional and post genomic approaches to develop a systems view of fungal pathogenesis.  Four major projects involving M. oryzae are currently ongoing in the Dean laboratory and include 1. Characterization of small RNA and gene silencing mechanisms in regulating infection development and host –pathogen interactions. 2. Interrogation of post-translational protein modifications (phosphorylation and ubiquitination) during infection, 3. Identification and characterization of effector proteins,and 4. Comparative genome analysis of foliar and rooting infecting members of the Magnaporthacae. This project involves comparison of the genomes and gene content of M. oryzae with closely related species Gaemanonomyces graminis tritici and M. poae.

Teaching

Dr. Dean teaches PP707 Plant-Microbe Interactions every Spring, which is co-taughtwith Dr. Carbone. Dr. Dean’s section covers the following topics: 1. Conceptual framework of plant immunity, 2. Effectors and effector delivery systems, 3. Effector recognition, 4. Biotrophic and necrotrophic interactions, 5. Hypersensitive response and programmed cell death, 6. Systemic acquired resistance, 7. Small RNA and disease, and 8. Secondary metabolites and toxins.

Copy from https://www.cifr.ncsu.edu/ralph-dean/

Gerard Clover, RHS Head of Plant Health, is responsible for managing the RHS’s team of plant pathologists and entomologists and for developing the Society’s research programme to identify and control pests and diseases, undertake surveillance and share knowledge with members.

He obtained his BSc (Hons) from the University of Bristol and his PhD from Rothamsted Research / University of Nottingham before working as a post-doctoral scientist in Defra’s Food and Environment Research Agency. Prior to joining the RHS in 2013 he managed the New Zealand Plant Health & Environment Laboratory, the government reference laboratory for plant pests and diseases, and led the development of phytosanitary policy for imported plants.

His personal area of expertise is the detection, characterisation and management of virus and virus-like diseases. He is the supervisor of a CASE student with the University of Cambridge who is investigating the interaction of virus infection and plant-associated insects. He is also the supervisor of an MRes student with Royal Holloway who is seeking to identify the most important pests and diseases affecting UK gardens. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and is Senior Editor for the journal New Disease Reports. He is a member of the board of the British Society for Plant Pathology and the Association of Applied Biologists’ virology committee.

Copy from https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/meet-the-team/gerard-clover

Jennifer Hodgetts is a post-doctoral researcher at the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera), formerly Central Science Laboratory (CSL), in York. Fera is a government research organisation and an executive agency of Defra.

After a BSc (Hons) in Biochemisty and Microbiology (Staffordshire University) and an MSc in Molecular Biology (Staffordshire University), she undertook a PhD on the taxonomy and diagnostics of phytoplasmas at the University of Nottingham linked with CSL. This project had an applied emphasis and used a taxonomic approach to develop new diagnostic tools which have now been implemented in the labs at Fera.

Her current position as a molecular plant pathologist primarily focuses on the development of novel diagnostic tools principally for plant and insect pathogens, but also includes DNA barcoding, recombinant protein work and plant resistance screening.

I am a post-doc currently working at the University of Exeter. My research surrounds Panama disease (Bananas) and Septoria (Wheat).

I was appointed as BSPP web manager in January 2014. I have good experience in web development and hope to use these skills to help BSPP maintain a modern and highly functional web presence. I was also the recipient of a BSPP summer bursary in 2011 which I spent with Dr Richard Cooper at the University of Bath.

When not in the greenhouse or the lab, I like to spend my time cooking, walking, camping, foraging, watching films, playing sports such as cricket, and 5-a-side football (badly).

I have a part-time research position at the James Hutton Institute, Dundee.  My main research interests are developing the use of molecular diagnostic techniques for the detection and quantification of seed and soil-borne potato pathogens: both as a research tool to investigate disease epidemiology, and in supporting the management of potatoes by quantifying disease risk. At present I am focusing on the effect of crop management practices, in particular, the effect of soil organic matter content on the introduction and persistence of pathogens through a crop rotation.

A fascination with plants, fostered by fantastic school teachers lead me onto Biology (BSc Hons) at Sheffield University. Exploring crop biotechnology, plant defence signalling pathways and parasitic interactions including Striga hermonthica on maize, coupled with a summer placement working on the blood phase of the Malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum, motivated me to follow this interest at Imperial College London. There, while studying ‘Integrated Crop Pest and Disease Management’ (MRes), I undertook projects investigating a Zambian leaf blight outbreak (Exserohilum turcicum) and Barley powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordeii) pathology.

This introduction to fungal pathogens of crops highlighted the importance of plant pathology to food production. As a student at Rothamsted Research, I gained a doctorate studying Zymoseptoria tritici – focussing on the stealth mode of this fungal infection of wheat in Jason Rudd’s lab. The highlight being the discovery and exploration of Z. tritici LysM genes, in collaboration with Bart Thomma at Wageningen University.

Since then, studying science education at Goldsmiths University and working in primary and secondary schools has highlighted the importance of engaging children and young adults in science. Inspiring them to look at the world around them, discover and learn. I’m also keenly interested in sustainable agricultural methods, having spent time working with agronomists and currently living close to farmers who represent contrasting approaches to food production and land management in the UK.