Departmental news
Celebrating 75 years of the Crop Centre’s pioneering agriculture research
The University of Warwick is celebrating 75 years of plant science research at its internationally recognised Crop Centre – the UK’s leading research facility for vegetable growers.
The Crop Centre, based at The University of Warwick’s Innovation Campus, Stratford-upon-Avon, was founded 75 years ago as the National Vegetable Research Station (NVRS) to address post-war pressure for food production.
Research has continued on the site ever since, now incorporated into the University’s School of Life Sciences (SLS).
With climate change challenging crop growth and leading to supermarket shortages, the work of the Crop Centre is as important as ever.
It continues to produce world-class research, contributing to sustainable agricultural practices for the future. It aims to equip the industry with innovative solutions, alongside providing a leading training and education facility.
Professor Rosemary Collier, SLS, University of Warwick: “Warwick Crop Centre is home to both the UK Vegetable Gene Bank, which is a globally important collection of natural genetic variation, and the UK’s Vegetable Genetic Improvement Network (VeGIN) which makes this genetic information available to breeding companies.
“Other research priorities include providing sustainable solutions to pest and disease control for fresh produce growers. We are also committed to raising awareness of our work in the community, by hosting briefings in the shape of popular webinars.”
A newly announced initiative is Warwick Agri-Tech, which combines the Crop Centre’s expertise in life sciences with world class engineering at WMG at The University of Warwick. This will drive the development of technologies that are needed to support the future of agriculture.
Alicia Feledziak, Business Development Manager for Warwick Agri-Tech, said: “Warwick Agri-tech’s great strength is its ability to transfer WMG’s advanced engineering capabilities in automation, robotics and AI systems, which have been developed through decades of working with industry in sectors like Aerospace, Automotive and Rail, into the agricultural sector. Together with the School of Life Sciences, we are able to move these technologies out of ordered factories and into the ever-changing and often harsh environments of agriculture.
“Our goal is to de-risk innovation for industry, to support the development of a sustainable and resilient food system. We are excited to be working closely with growers, technology developers and government to drive change for the industry.”
The Crop Centre will also pioneer genetic breeding, which will enable new varieties of fresh vegetable crops to be bred that are adapted to the changing climate and changing technologies.
Professor Richard Napier, SLS, University of Warwick, added: “We’re working for the next generation. Our research is de-risking crop production as we adapt to climate change, our education is equipping young people with practical knowledge about the challenges. We are providing the industry with a new generation of critical thinkers able to help solve the problems of the future.”
Inspiring the next generation of engineers
WMG at the University of Warwick's commitment to widening participation and fostering inclusivity took centre stage during a week-long work experience programme, aimed at inspiring local students to pursue a career in engineering.
The initiative was organised by WMG’s Outreach team and the University's Widening Participation Team to support under-represented students that might lack confidence or support when they consider a future in engineering. The High Value Manufacturing Catapult’s Inspiring Young Engineers project, which delivers engaging opportunities to students who might not otherwise have experienced the subject, also supported the week.
Throughout the programme, participants were mentored by WMG staff who provided valuable insights into various engineering pathways, research and careers.
Tours of the engineering facilities showed what research at a university is like - from battery development in the Energy Innovation Centre and automotive technology in the National Automotive Innovation Centre, to studying for an engineering degree at the School of Engineering.
The WMG Outreach Team also worked alongside colleagues from the University’s Creative Arts department who organised an arts-focused work experience programme to run at the same time.
The programme concluded in a celebration showcase where the students, from both the arts and engineering teams, presented their work to parents, carers,
teachers and University staff, including the Vice Chancellor Professor Stuart Croft.
Reflecting on the programme, WMG’s Widening Participation Co-ordinator, Dr Phil Jemmett, said: “We ran this event last year with the support of the University’s Widening Participation team and immediately thought that we could scale this up, and share the model with a wider group.
“We are delighted to have had the Creative Arts stream on board because it shows how different skillsets and expertise is needed to create solutions that will actually benefit people. I’m proud to have been able to give young students an experience of how collaboration really happens.
“Throughout the week we’ve had ups and downs, challenges and successes – but that is what engineering is really like! Nothing works the first time, so the students have had to learn problem solving and resilience. I couldn’t have been happier to see all six projects from the engineering stream up and running at the final showcase – what’s more each one of them had elements and decisions devised by the students themselves.
“They have all grown in their abilities and confidence, and I hope that they take that confidence back with them to their studies, and future careers.”
This year’s programme follows the mission statement of the 2023 event, but with the addition of creative arts: “The University of Warwick's initiative reflects its dedication to providing equal opportunities in engineering and creative arts education. By empowering less privileged local students and challenging misconceptions about the subjects, they are nurturing a diverse talent pool that will shape the future of engineering and creative arts.”
The event was supported by a host of staff and student ambassadors including Phil Jemmett; Margaret Low; Caroline Cannon; Marie Diebolt; Alex Band; Bruce Guild; Megan Clement; Robin George; Harry Gillions; Liv Griffiths; Martin Hill; Myles Ing; Karen Kudar; Samuel Leo; Zarin Miah; Ihsan Muhaddisoglu; Umair Paracha; Bradley Peirce; Adam Rich; Shawon Shanto; Elizbieta Titis; Jingyi Zhao; Caroline Cannon; Gauri Verma; Oksana Trushkevych; Bill Crofts; Richard Carney; Vidya Narayanan; Bradley Pierce; Laura Copland; Jay Carter; Paul Philipson; and the WMG Facilities team.
Find out more about WMG's Outreach programme here: Outreach and Widening Participation (warwick.ac.uk)
Professor Trevor Burnard
The department is very sad to learn of the death of Prof. Trevor Burnard.
Chemistry Work experience 2024 a great success!
From July 10th to July 12th, we have welcomed 40 A-level students to the Department for a three-day Work Experience Placement for a taste of a career in chemical sciences.
New paper about the force generating mechanism of kinesin molecular motors
Sumiyoshi et al. is a collaboration addressing a question Robert Cross and Jun Yajima first asked themselves almost 20 years ago – would monomeric kinesin molecular motors tethered via surface loops still drive microtubule gliding? It turns out yes! Scanning a dsDNA tether across all exposed loops reveals a core mechanical cycle of the kinesin-1 motor domain that underlies, and is amplified by, linker docking.
DCS Summer BBQ
The Department of Computer Science celebrated the end of the academic year with a staff BBQ, along with some games of rounders and a tug of war.
Thank you everyone for your hard work this year!
Scientists make breakthrough in development of fridge-free storage for vital medicines
Scientists have developed a new approach to store and distribute crucial protein therapeutics without the need for fridges or freezers.
The breakthrough, published in the journal Nature, could significantly improve accessibility of essential protein-based drugs in developing countries where cold storage infrastructure may be lacking, helping efforts to diagnose and treat more people with serious health conditions.
The researchers, from the Universities of Manchester, Glasgow and Warwick, have designed a hydrogel – a material mostly made of water – that stabilises proteins, protecting its properties and functionality at temperatures as high as 50°C.
Skills England: Expert comment from Dr Ben Silverstone
Expert comment from Dr Ben Silverstone, Associate Professor, Workforce Transformation Strategy and Policy at WMG, University of Warwick
“WMG welcomes the establishment of Skills England as a body to simplify and accelerate the skills system in the UK. As our economy is transformed, over the coming decades, the relationship between industry, education and government is critical in ensuring that the immediate needs of industry are met. Hand in hand with this, the further devolution of skills budgets to local areas will be essential in ensuring that place specific provision can be brought to bear, in a funded capacity, where businesses require support to meet local needs as part of a regional and national strategy.
“Investment in the further education system is much needed, and represents a critical, and widespread, recognition of the role that it plays in supporting businesses. The commitment to supporting young people is vital, but this does not go far enough.
“There is also a huge number of employees in the workforce in need of re skilling and upskilling - it is critical that the role of further education is not diminished in this capacity. We call upon the Government to make colleges bastions of industrial capability through skilling the existing workforce.
“Finally, the Apprenticeship Levy is in desperate need of change. We welcome commitments to expand its use. Enabling businesses to spend their levy contributions on impactful training, alongside high-quality apprenticeships, will increase investment in the workforce and prevent valuable funding from disappearing from the skills landscape where it goes unspent. We urge the Government to go further, and to allow levy paying organisations to transfer up to 100% of their unspent levy into their supply chain to support an integrated approach to capability development, helping to anchor industry in the UK.”
King’s Speech: Expert comment from Simon Webb
Expert comment from Simon Webb, Chief Technology Officer, at WMG at the University of Warwick
"The announcements in the King’s Speech of a new industrial strategy, supported by a revived Industrial Strategy Council and devolved local growth plans, demonstrate a welcome commitment to growing the UK economy through long-term innovation, increased infrastructure delivery and building economic opportunity across the whole country.
"The support for 'sustainable growth by encouraging investment in industry, skills and new technologies' will be vital for UK economic success in key areas such as the decarbonisation of future transport and advanced manufacturing.
"As it looks to develop the Industrial Strategy, the government will need to consider the current needs of businesses and address their real world challenges. This is particularly important for SMEs and microbusinesses who may need additional support to improve their productivity and sustainability. The announcement of local growth plans and an Industrial Strategy Council are welcome steps to engaging with business on these issues.
"At WMG, we look forward to working with government and our industry partners to help deliver on these vital missions."
Dr Arun Advani recognised as high flier with UKRI Future Leader Fellowship award
Tax expert Dr Arun Advani’s ambitious research agenda has been backed by the UK’s national research funding body with the award of a prestigious Future Leaders Fellowship.
Founded in 2018, the FLF scheme aims to provide long-term support to talented researchers investigating complex problems with funding, career development and skills training. Around 500 fellows have been appointed since the scheme began.
Dr Advani will become the University of Warwick’s third Future Leaders Fellow and the first from the Faculty of Social Science.
The award will support new research from Dr Advani into the use of trusts and other ‘split ownership’ structures by the wealthy, the impact of such schemes on inequality, and whether the taxation and regulation of trusts should be reformed.
Dr Advani is widely recognised as an expert on the complex and arcane UK tax system. The award will enable him to bring his skills to bear on this under-researched topic, which is also a feature of wealth management in the USA and in Commonwealth countries.
He explains: “Trusts are a key tool in wealth management and tax planning. While they can offer benefits such as protection for minors or others who are unable to manage their own finances, they can also be exploited as a means of concealing the true ownership of assets and a way of evading tax. They also make it difficult to accurately assess wealth inequality, a key issue for the new UK Government.
“We found with our work on non-doms that a major barrier to reform is the lack of real, robust data. Without quantitative evidence it is difficult for policymakers to model the outcome of reforms.
“This project will close the evidence gap in the area of trusts and work up practical, implementable reforms.”
Congratulating Dr Advani on his Fellowship, Head of Department Professor Ben Lockwood said: “Arun is committed to using his research to achieve real-world change. He has been at the forefront of research into UK tax issues for the best part of a decade and has developed an outstanding reputation as analyst and commentator on tax and equality issues.
“This Fellowship award will allow him to lead an entirely new area of study in the understanding of inequality and tax policy, and establish the UK as the global hub of wealth trust research.”
18 July 2024