Dr Thomas Wood

Research interests

Senior Programme Leader with expertise in genetics, genomics and plant pathology; specialising in legumes and oilseeds and their pathogens, with a specific interest in downy mildews

Research projects

• Pulse Crop Genetic Improvement Network; 2024-2029: Lead: John Innes Centre, Partners: Niab, PGRO, UoReading, UoAberystwyth, Met Office; Defra; Niab.
• IUK Launch pad 10131210 Sustainable Crop Control: efficacy of bioinsecticides from lab to field; 2024-2026; Industry Lead: BugBiome, Academic Lead: Niab; Innovate UK, Niab.
• IUK 10088620 Diagnosing and scoring diseases of crops using AI-based image analysis; Co-I; 2024-2026; Industry Lead: Creative Innovations, Academic Lead:  Innovate UK; Niab.
• Responsive Mode BB/X01617X/1; Rapid effector discovery to protect wheat from Septoria tritici blotch disease; 2024-2027; Lead: Uof Birmingham, Partner: Niab, BBSRC;  Niab.
• Follow-on Fund APP2457 Fungicide Insensitivity Monitoring Platform; 2023-2026; BBSRC; Niab
  Philanthropic funding - Improving resistance to common bean diseases in Africa; Co-I; 2022-2027; Niab, UoCambridge-CSC, CIAT-Uganda, NaCRRI, UoEmbu; Niab.
• BBR BB/W019221/1; PI; EAGLE: Enhanced Analytical and Genetics Tools for Improving UK Food Legumes; 2023-2027; Lead: Niab, Partner; John Innes Centre; BBSRC; Niab.

Publications

Recent publications

Webb A, Thomas JE, Davis H, McAdam S, Angra D, O’Sullivan SM, Gostkiewicz K, Capozzi M, Wood TA. Identification of QTLs linked to partial resistance to foot and root rot caused by Fusarium avenaceum and Fusarium oxysporum in faba bean (Vicia faba).

Göl, D, Okechukwu, E, Ünal, G, Webb, A, Wood, T, Hong, Y Sherif, S, Wacker, T, Studholme, D, McDowell, J, and Tor, M. 2025. Advancing RNAi-Based Strategies Against Downy Mildews: Insights Into dsRNA Uptake and Gene Silencing. Molecular Plant Pathology. 

Maffia, A. Scotti, R. Wood, T. Muscolo, A. Lepore, A. Acocella, E. Celano, G. Transforming Agricultural and Sulfur Waste into Fertilizer: Assessing the Short-Term Effects on Microbial Biodiversity via a Metagenomic Approach. Life 2024, 14, 1633.

Webb, A, Reynolds, T, Wright, T, Caiazzo, R, Lloyd, D, Thomas, J, Wood, T. 2024. Identification of faba bean genetic loci conferring quantitative resistance to the fungus Botrytis fabae, causal agent of chocolate spot. Frontiers in Plant Sciences 15

Tör, M, Wood, T, Webb, A, Göl, D, McDowell, J. 2023. Recent developments in plant-downy mildew interactions. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology.