Research interests in reproductive systems of grasses and clovers, quantitative trait mapping and marker assisted selection strategy.

Current projects

• Genetics, Genomics and Germplasm (C3G), 2012-2017, Crop BBSRC ISPG Grant (BB/J004405/1) in Work Package 2. Lolium and Trifolium Genetics, Genomics and Germplasm development - Understanding and Manipulating Self-Incompatibility in Grasses and Clovers.
• CropLife, 2011-2014, EU FP7 Marie-Curie ITN -EC Grant Agreement No. 264394.

My research career has focused on studying the biology of the Poaceae (grasses). After completing my PhD research I was employed as a plant breeder at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, funded by Germinal Holdings Ltd. I developed stay green perennial ryegrass varieties, for turf use, based on transfer of the stay green gene from Festuca pratensis. I have a wide portfolio of turfgrass varieties on the EU Common Catalogue that have been commercialised and have been used in major sports installations. My background in plant breeding has meant that my research focus has been on using high-throughput phenomics and image analysis and genomics including SNP generation to develop more efficient methodology for understanding the genetic control of a range of agronomic and plant life-cycle traits and to use this information in marker assisted selection breeding programmes. I was a co-investigator on a BBSRC Follow on Fund (BB/FOF/194) “Using gene specific DNA markers to assi

BRM1420 - Food Security: Scientific Solutions BR12410 - Study and Communication Skills