Projects

1. “Improved resistance of red clover to soil borne pathogens for sustainable livestock production”. WEFO SMARTExpertise 2017/COL/008 (2018-2021) IBERS, Germinal Holdings Ltd and Hybu Cig Cymru – (£250K)
2. “Maximising the value of commercial forage grass seed production”. Innovate UK/BBSRC 93314-562353/TS/R005133/1 (2017-2020) Germinal Holdings and IBERS - Co-I (£207K)
3. EUCLEG - Breeding forage and grain legumes to increase EU's and China's protein self-sufficiency. EU Horizon 2020 (H2020-SFS-2016-2 727312-2). 38 partners (2017-2021) - IBERS PI and Work Package Leader (€5M)
4. “Genetics of crown rot resistance in red clover” KESS II PhD studentship (2017-2020) IBERS and Germinal Holdings – PI (£52K)
5. “Genomic selection for utilisation, seed production and animal health traits in white clover” (2017-2021) Teagasc Walsh Fellowship – University Supervisor (€145K)
6. “Novel strategies for genetic improvement of disease resistance in perennial ryegrass”. Innovate UK/BBSRC 47055-329315/ BB/M028267/1. (2015-2020) Germinal Holdings and IBERS (£730K) - PI
7. “Comparative population genomics of red clover domestication and improvement” BBSRC-IPA BB/L023563/1 with TGAC and Germinal Holdings (2014-2017) (£741K) - PI
8. “Genomics-assisted breeding for fatty acid content and composition in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) BBSRC LINK1 award (with Germinal Holdings and Hybu Cig Cymru) BB/K017160/1 (2013-2018) (£999,435) – Co-I

As leader of the Forage Grass and Legume Research Group at IBERS, I am continuing a significant research portfolio in both forage grasses and legumes. Next generation sequencing and computing technologies provide unprecedented opportunities to enhance crop yield and quality for food and livestock more sustainably through rapid genetic improvement of germplasm. IBERS is the only university department in the UK with active plant breeding programmes, and the objective of my job now is to facilitate the utilisation of existing breeding populations and other germplasm as the experimental framework to explore ways of developing and incorporating the genomics and phenomics information and resources into the recurrent selection based plant breeding programmes for outbreeding forage crops. The aim is to provide a focal point for translational research and the development of new populations to underpin public good plant breeding and to test new genomics based breeding methodologies such as genome wide selection. These methodologies have the added advantage of enabling gene discovery and dissection of complex traits of biological and agronomic importance through association genetics in breeder-relevant germplasm.