Dr Jordan Price

Jordan is a Senior Specialist in fungal biotechnology and microbial genomics at Niab. His current research focuses on the functional and comparative genomics of pathogenic Fusarium species, specifically investigating those infecting lettuce (F. oxysporum f. sp. lactucae) and cereals (F. graminearum and F. culmorum). Additionally, he contributes his genome assembly and annotation skills to projects involving the generation of high quality plant genomes.

With a background bridging molecular biology and computational analysis, Jordan specialises in translating complex genomic data into actionable insights. He offers significant expertise to collaborators in developing robust analysis pipelines (Nextflow) and custom software tools. His technical skillset encompasses Python, R, and SQL, with recent innovations including LLM-powered database agents and automated image analysis tools.

Previously, Jordan contributed to the ENSA nitrogen-fixation project at Niab and investigated fungal pathogenicity at the University of Kent. He continues to work with academic and commercial partners to identify novel gene targets for sustainable agriculture.

Recent publications

Kundu A, Moraes TA, Price RJ, Harrison RJ, Oldroyd GED. Getting to the Route: The Evolution of Nitrogen-Fixing Nodules. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 2025 Oct;41(1):457-478. Epub 2025 Jun 6. PMID: 40478967.

Connell J, Bates HJ, Geoghegan I, Wilson F, Harrison RJ, Price RJ. Mutation of the LRG1 Rho-GAP gene is responsible for the hyper branching C-variant phenotype in the Quorn mycoprotein fungus Fusarium venenatum A3/5. Fungal Biol Biotechnol. 2025 Mar 24;12(1):3. PMID: 40128830; PMCID: PMC11934581.

Sargent DJ, Buti M, Martens S, Pugliesi C, Aaby K, Røen D, Yadav CB, Fernández Fernández F, Alsheikh M, Davik J, Price RJ. A CACTA-like transposon in the Anthocyanidin synthase 1 (Ans-1) gene is responsible for apricot fruit colour in the raspberry (Rubus idaeus) cultivar 'Varnes'. PLoS One. 2025 Feb 3;20(2):e0318692. PMID: 39899506; PMCID: PMC11790086.

Sanchez ER, Price RJ, Marangelli F, McLeary K, Harrison RJ, Kundu A. Overexpression of Vitis GRF4-GIF1 improves regeneration efficiency in diploid Fragaria vesca Hawaii 4. Plant Methods. 2024 Oct 18;20(1):160. PMID: 39420380; PMCID: PMC11488064.

Bates HJ, Pike J, Price RJ, Jenkins S, Connell J, Legg A, Armitage A, Harrison RJ, Clarkson JP. Comparative genomics and transcriptomics reveal differences in effector complement and expression between races of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lactucae. Front Plant Sci. 2024 Oct 10;15:1415534. PMID: 39450076; PMCID: PMC11499160.