Our People
To see their full biography, click on their name, and it will lead you to their personal web page.
Key Topics
- Conservation of Genetic Variation
- Vegetable Gene Bank
- UK Plant Genetic Resources
Dr Charlotte Allender is a plant geneticist who runs the Vegetable Gene Bank. Charlotte is active within national and international networks such as the European Co-operative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources as the Chair of the Umbellifer Crops Working Group, as well as having membership of other crop working groups. She is also Deputy Chair of the UK Plant Genetic Resources Group, a group which provides technical and policy advice to Defra
charlotte.allender@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Lead for VeGIN
- Vegetable Crop Improvement
- Comparative genomics
- Ligno-cellulolytic waste for bioenergy
Guy.Barker@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
- Biological Pest Control
- Co-founder of Agri-Tech
- Agricultural entomologist
Dave.Chandler@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Plant pathology
- VeGIN
Dr Lauren Chappell is a plant pathologist and is currently working on the VeGIN project. The interactive network between industry and academia aims to identify novel genetics linked to key improvement traits, such as resistance to pests and diseases, for the sustainable production of an expanding collection of vegetable crops, in addition to the UK's four core crop groups: carrot, onion, lettuce, and brassicas.
Lauren.Chappell@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Plant diseases
- Studies onions, carrots, lettuce, and brassicas
- Specialist produce: peas, parsnips, herbs, asparagus, and cut flowers
Professor John Clarkson's research focuses on plant diseases that have a major impact on the supply and quality of fresh produce while also threatening the livelihoods of farmers.
John has research projects funded by the government, research councils, and industry, looking at fungi such as Fusarium, Sclerotinia, and Pythium spp.
John.Clarkson@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Applied entomologist
- VeGIN
- Pest insects in horticulture
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Professor Rosemary Collier is an applied entomologist whose interests lie in the interactions between food production and the natural environment, focusing on the management of pest insects in horticultural crops with approaches that minimise the impact on other non-target species. This may be through biological or physical approaches, or through host plant resistance, an area where she collaborates with colleagues at Warwick VeGIN (warwick.ac.uk).
Rosemary.Collier@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Plant-nitrogen interactions
- Root-soil-rhizosphere interactions
- Root microbe symbiosis
Professor Miriam Gifford is interested in how plants interact with the environment, in particular, the root-soil-rhizosphere interactions and the circadian-shaping of nodulation. A summary of her lab's work can be accessed here.
Miriam is also the head of the University of Warwick School of Life Sciences.
M.L.Gifford@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Biochemist
- Plant microbe interactions
- Elizabeth Creak Horticultural Technology Centre
Professor Murray Grant is a biochemist focusing his research on pathogenic and beneficial plant-microbe interactions using multidisciplinary research methods.
He is involved with the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust and has established the Elizabeth Creak Horticultural Technology Centre which is dedicated to the potential of gene editing for British horticultural crops, particularly in improving resilience under changing climatic conditions.
M.Grant@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Geneticist
- Genetic improvement of bean cultivars
- Fellow of Warwick Institute of Engagement
Professor Eric Holub is a geneticist and a fellow of Warwick Institute of Engagement. He applies his experience to genetic improvement of food crops and public access to affordable food diversity. Recently, he has been selecting Meso-american crops for UK production including common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos and herbs.
Eric.Holub@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Experimental manager
- Crop protection specialist
- Insect crop damage identification
- Insecticide residues
- Natural insecticides
Andrew Jukes is the Experimental Manager at Warwick Crop Centre, specialising in crop protection to improve yield outcomes for farmers and growers.
Andrew works with both insecticides and bio-insecticides to control commercially important insect pests in the field and protected vegetables, as well as herbicides, fungicides, and bio-fungicides. He also works on bio-stimulants to promote plant growth.
In addition, Andrew works on insect rearing, insect life cycles, and the identification of insect pest damage on crops. His analytical chemistry background has led Andrew to do extensive research on insecticide residues in soil and crops, but he is now focusing his time on natural products, in particular capsicinoids in chilli peppers and glucosinolates in brassicas, measured by HPLC.
Andrew.Jukes@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Impact of agriculture on the environment
- Carbon footprinting
- Lifecycle assessments
- Healthcare assessments
Professor Robert Lillywhite specialises in evaluating the impact of agriculture and healthcare on our environment. Robert uses environmental accounting techniques (life cycle assessment, carbon footprinting, mass balances) to examine the hotspots, trade-offs and impacts that occur within systems to identify reduction strategies.
Robert.Lillywhite@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Experiment Co-ordinator
- Delivery of crop trials for both researchers and commercial clients
- Grodome
- Glasshouses
- Soil borne pathogen plots
- Entomological zones with key pest populations
- Agro-Met station
Sally Mann is the Experiments Co-ordinator for field and glasshouse trials at Warwick Crop Centre and the Phytobiology Grodome trials on the main campus at the University of Warwick.
Sally and her team deliver trials from beginning to end, for both the Crop Centre and commercial clients.
The team manages a 40-hectare research site operating on an eight-year rotation, which includes several specialist science resource areas such as soil-borne pathogen plots and entomological zones with key pest populations. The site is fully supported by an irrigation network with an on-site Agro-Met station that provides continuous environmental monitoring.
All glasshouse and Grodome compartments are individually environmentally controlled, receiving round-the-clock monitoring and irrigation to ensure optimal growing conditions for research.
Sally.Mann@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Biochemist
- Plant signals
- Plastics in agriculture
- Agri-Tech
- Development of policies in horticulture
Professor Richard Napier is a biochemist with a focus on the plant hormone auxin, looking into how and why different members of the receptor family show preferences for different auxins. This is important in agriculture because synthetic auxins are vitally important selective herbicides.
Richard works with members of the chemistry department to understand if and how nanoplastics accumulate in plants.
Richard also dedicates his time to policy work, offering advocacy for the UK edible horticulture community and promoting the growth of the British fresh produce sector.
Richard.Napier@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Plant disease epidemiology
- Mathematical and computer models
- Ash Dieback
- Emerald Ash Borer
-
Xylella fastidios
Dr Stephen Parnell is a plant disease epidemiologist and modeller based at both Warwick Crop Centre and the Zeeman Institute for infectious disease epidemiology.
He develops mathematical and computer models of how these pests and diseases spread through plant populations and uses the models to test out strategies to detect and control them.
stephen.parnell@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Soil scientist
- Earthworm biology and ecology
- Bioacoustic monitoring
Jacqueline.stroud@warwick.ac.uk
Key Topics
- Crop trait genetics to reduce crop losses
- Oilseed Rape Genetic Improvement Network (OREGIN)
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in conjunction with genetics
- Focus on brassicas, lettuce, onions, and carrots
Dr Graham Teakle is a geneticist focusing his research on crop trait genetics and plant-pest/pathogen interactions with the ultimate goal of delivering sustainable crop production and reduced crop losses. He focuses on brassicas, notably oilseed rape, lettuce, onions, and carrots.
Graham is the Warwick lead for OREGIN- Oilseed Rape Genetic Improvement Network.