Emma leads the Crop Transformation Group at NIAB and is responsible for the development and progression of both academic research projects and contract services for external customers. The main focus is the transformation of wheat, where NIAB has expanded the range of germplasm which can be utilised to include UK elite varieties and durum wheats.
Robert works as part of the phenotyping group within the Genetics and Pre-breeding department at NIAB. Robert obtained a PhD. in molecular biology and phenotyping from the University of Nottingham and Rothamsted Research. Following his PhD Robert worked for a year as part of Malcolm Hawkesford’s group at Rothamsted focusing on remote sensing methods to analyse grain quality and the nitrogen content of milled wheat grain and straw.
Margaret, along with Stephen Flack, leads the Agricultural Crop Characterisation team delivering Seed Certification in England and Wales, and UK DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability) testing of combinable crops, sugar beet, fodder kale and ornamental species as contracted by Defra and APHA - the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
Understanding the physiological limitations to yield formation and the adaptations of plants to abiotic stresses such as drought. The current research emphasis is on wheat, although past work involved maize, oats, sugar beet and tropical legumes. New information and tools are needed to increase food production and the effective use of water.
Molecular plant breeding and the study of genetic diversity and domestication of crop plants using molecular markers to identify and quantify genotype changes.
Since joining NIAB from the commercial sector in 2007, Phil has worked on breeding and pre-breeding projects including NIAB's flagship wheat resynthesis programme, the multi-partner WISP and DFW wheat pre-breeding initiatives, and the development of wheat MAGIC populations.
Stephen Flack has responsibility for the management of the ACC work on the APHA contract for agricultural DUS and seed certification of agricultural species in England and Wales. Throughout his career, Stephen has worked mainly with crop certification, initially of potatoes and later for all agricultural crop species covered by the UK Seeds regulations, especially with the non-cereal crops. He has also been responsible for DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability) testing of sugar beet, field beans and for potato variety trials.
Lesley has lead a research programme investigating the genetics, cellular and molecular biology of partial, adult plant expressed and nonhost resistance to fungal pathogens in wheat since 1995. In 2012 Boyd moved her research programme to NIAB.
