Helen Ougham

Plant growth and development, particularly leaf senescence. Evolution and significance of autumn colours. Use of imaging in plant and agricultural science. Applications of bioinformatics and modelling in crop science. Cross-disciplinary research. Communicating science to non-specialists. Science through the medium of Welsh.

Helen Ougham has a B.A. in Natural Sciences from Cambridge and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Aberystwyth. She carried out research in plant science and crop bioinformatics for over 25 years at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research and Aberystwyth University, and taught regularly on graduate courses in genetics and genomics at the University of Birmingham and in crop science at the IAMZ, Zaragoza. She was a member of BBSRC's Genes & Developmental Biology Committee and Tools & Resources Strategy Panel. Although nominally 'retired', she is still actively involved in scientific research, teaching on IBERS modules, writing, reviewing and editing. She is a co-editor of New Phytologist and an Honorary Research Fellow at East Malling Research. With Russ Jones, Howard (Sid) Thomas and Sue Waaland, Helen is author of the textbook The Molecular Life of Plants. She has been an organiser of Aberystwyth Science Cafe since it was launched in 2005.