Agronomy & Farming Systems

Katharina is a plant physiologist with a particular interest in plant stress responses. For her PhD she worked on drought stress responses in potatoes in collaboration between Lancaster University and NIAB . Her field of expertise is closely linked with challenges through climate change. Hence, she is interested in innovative ways to make potato production more sustainable.

Katharina is working at Wageningen University as postdoctoral researcher in vertical farming and remains connected to NIAB in the function of a research consultant.

Peter joined NIAB in August 2022 and is part of an established team of research scientists, crop specialists and field/laboratory technicians, widely known for providing potato R&D, services and advice across the UK and beyond.

Gary provides agronomy advice and technical services to farmers across the eastern region, working closely with NIAB’s Head of Membership Technical Services Andrew Watson and agronomist Stephen Keach on-farm in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Will is based in Somerset and manages NIAB Agronomy membership activities across the south-west alongside supporting our southern and western region agronomists.

Joseph is a research agronomist at NIAB, with a mixed background in academia as a soil scientist and in industry as a commercial agronomist. He has a strong interest in how farm management approaches may be brought together into farming systems to increase the sustainability and resilience of food production.

Responsibilities

Vivien's role include the general coordination of the Eastern Agri-Tech Hub, administrative support and the arrangement of meetings or events, as well as being the first point of interaction for anyone wishing to use the site or interact with other SMEs and Hub users.

With a BA (Hons) in business management and a keen interest in horticulture, Emma is part of the glasshouse and ornamental specialist team delivering trials and R&D services for mainly commercial customers of arable, fruit and ornamental and protected crops in the glasshouses.

Emma provides the team with business development, contract management, customer liaison, coordination and technical services for activities including variety trials and variety characterisation, product evaluation trials, nutrition and growing system studies.

Ben's role within NIAB covers two main areas, that of a technical grower and in business development.

As a FACTS Qualified Advisor (Hort) Ben provides technical growing advice from his base at NIAB’s Park Farm glasshouse facility. He also produces bespoke fertigation systems and oversees the set up of protected/controlled environment facilities for all crops such as ornamentals, fruit, vegetables, cereals and legumes.

Ben's role within business development is to share his previous commercial experience and help develop ideas into actionable trials for NIAB’s customers.