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You are here: Home⇒Research⇒Plant Genetics Breeding & Evaluation⇒Genetics⇒Diversity Genomics Group⇒Dr Fiona Leigh

Fiona Leigh, PhD


Lab Manager / Post Doctoral Researcher
Tel: +44 1223 342473
Fax: +44 1223 342269
E-mail: Dr Fiona Leigh 


Research Interests:
The study of genetic diversity and domestication of crop plants using molecular markers to identify and quantify genotype changes.

Currently, my research is focused onto the expansion of agriculture through Europe.  We are partners in a NERC funded consortium entitled ‘the domestication of Europe’, which is an assessment of the extent to which phylogeographical analysis of modern landraces of barley and emmer wheat, combined with genotypic analysis of preserved specimens can reveal genetic information pertaining to the spread and establishment of cereal agriculture through Europe.

Previous research has included assessing changes in genetic diversity of barley and potatoes in Europe over the past 50 years, developing markers for hybrid purity assessment and quantifying microsatellite mutation rates in a controlled sunflower population. 

 

Publications:
Leigh F., Kalendar R., Lea V., Lee D., Donini P. and Schulman A. H. (2003a) Comparison of the utility of barley retrotransposon families for genetic analysis by molecular marker techniques. Molecular Genetics and Genomics 269: 464-474

Leigh F., Lea V., Law J., Wolters P., Powell W. and Donini P. (2003b) Assessment of EST- and genomic microsatellite markers for variety discrimination and genetic diversity studies in wheat. Euphytica 133: 359-366

Taylor E. J. A., Konstantinova P., Leigh F., Bates J. A. and Lee D. (2004) Gypsy-like retrotransposons in Pyrenophera species: an abundant and informative class of molecular markers. Genome 47: 519-525

Leigh F.J., Law J.R., Lea V.J. Donini P and Reeves J.C. (2005).  A comparison of molecular markers and statistical tools for diversity and EDV studies. In 'In the wake of the double helix: from the green revolution to the gene revolution' Eds. Tuberosa R, Phillips R.L. and Gale, M.

Rodruguez, M., O'Sullivan D., Donini P., Papa, R. Chiapparino E., Leigh F and Attene G.  (2006).  Integration of Retrotransposon-based markers in a linkage map of barley.  Molecular Breeding (in press).