Professor of Plant Physiology, School of Biological and Marine Sciences
Qualifications
Master of De Tao Academy - Songjiao, Shanghai China
BSc Biological Sciences - University of Leicester
PhD Agricultural Botany - University of Wales, Aberystwyth (Welsh Plant Breeding Station)
Professor of Plant Physiology - University of Plymouth
Visiting Professor - University of Angers, France (1991)
Visiting Professor - University of Southern Queensland, Australia (2006)
Visiting Scientist - The Leslie Research Institute, Department for Primary Industries, Queensland, Australia (2006)
Professional membership
1979- Member UK Conbtrolled Environment Users Group
1979- Member, Society for Experimental Biology.
1980- Member, Association of Applied Biology
Roles on external bodies
1998-05 Committee Member, Horticultural Research International Association, Wellesbourne
1999-05 Trustee, Vegetable Research Trust
2000- Member of ISHS Biotechnology Commisson
2000- Member of ISHS In-vitro culture Working Group
2000- Member of ISHS Brassica Working Group
1999- Member of ISHS Timing of field production of vegetables Working Group
2002-2010 Member of the Science Advisory Board
2003- Advisor to the Scientific Alliance
2005- Chair & Trustee, UK Controlled Environment Users Group
2006-16 Executive Committee Member, UK Council for Graduate Education
2006- Editorial Board, European Journal of Agronomy
2008-11 Honorary Secretary, UK Council for Graduate Education
2012-15 Chair, UK Council for Graduate Education
2012- Executive Secretary, Seale-Hayne Education Trust (SHET)
2012-15 Advisory Committee, HEA PTES
2012-15 Steering Committee, QAA Code for Higher Education
2013-16 Steering Committee, EUA-CDE (Council for Doctoral Education)
Teaching
Staff serving as external examiners
Postgraduate research examination (since 2000)
Richard Hill PhD 2000 Univ. Plymouth
Nguyen Thi Kim-Hong PhD 2000 National Univ. Ireland, Maynooth
Mahmoud Mohamed PhD 2000 Univ. Coventry
Kevin McCallum PhD 2000 Harper Adams Univ. College
Bizhi Huang PhD 2001 Univ. Wolverhampton
Peter Canter PhD 2001 Univ. of Aberystwyth
Habib Ur Rahman PhD 2002 Univ. Reading
Mohammad Nasrullah PhD 2003 Univ. Wolverhampton
Omar Ebshish PhD 2005 Univ. Newcastle
Navdeep Khera PhD 2007 Univ. Coventry
Olubukola Oke MSc by Research 2007 Univ. Coventry
Maloni Havea MSc by Research 2007 Univ. of the South Pacific
David Downey PhD 2008 National Univ. Ireland, Maynooth
Chris Wooley PhD 2009 University of Plymouth
Joel Velasco Velasco PhD 2010 University of Plymouth
Chew Kwee Tan MPhil 2010 University of Plymouth
Zeineb El Mghadmi PhD 2011 Univ. of Coventry
Adeela Haroon PhD 2011 Univ. of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
Seoleseng Tshwenyanet PhD 2011 Univ. Essex, Writtle College
Nighat Seema Soomro PhD 2012 Sindh Agricultural University, Pakistan
Owen Smith PhD 2012 University of Plymouth
Elena Golovushkina PhD 2013 Glasgow Caledonian University
Susheela Talwara PhD 2013 Copenhagen University, Denmark
Hussam Gadeh PhD 2013 Coventry University
Zaher Ahmed Deho PhD 2014 Sindh Agriculture University, Pakistan
Shah Nawz Mari PhD 2014 Sindh Agriculture University, Pakistan
M. Joe Virgin Largia PhD 2015 Alagappa University, India
External examiner (Taught programmes)
2005-08 Writtle College/University of Essex - MSc Horticulture, MSc Postharvest Technology, MSc/MA International Horticulture.
2006-09 National University of Ireland, Maynooth - BSc Biology and Biotechnology & MSc Immunology
2009-12 University of Bradford, MRes/PgDip/PgCert Social Science Research Methods
2010-13 University of Bournemouth, PgCert Research Degree Supervision
2016-19 Birmingham City University, PgCert Research Methods
2017-21 Reading University, PgDip/MSc/ProfDoc
Research
Research interests
Plant Factories and Controlled Environment Agriculture
Research groups
Research degrees awarded to supervised students
Research student completions
Fakhriya Kareem MPhil/PhD 2017 Exogenously applied anti-stress agents and the upregulation of drought
Gillian Tabor ResM 2016 The effect of dynamic mobilistation exercises on equine core stability
Polly Gilbert ResM 2015 (pt)
Anna Fisker Hansen ResM 2015
Sarah Bettany ResM 2017 The effect of Kaolin as a compost additive on the plant growth
Ayman Almerei 2016 Transformation of Syrian maize varieties with anti-stress genes
Keith Spurgin ResM 2016 A study of closely related bramble forms to determine whether they can be reliably separated into species by comparing physical measurements
Sherzad Hakim PhD 2015 Health Policy and planning: The role of health research in guiding health policy in Iraqi Kurdistan (in association with Hawler Medical University)
Faiz Fahdel PhD 2014 The genetic and physiological basis of brown-heart syndrome in swede
Magda Al-Sharmi PhD 2014 Somatic embryogenesis and cryopreservation in cauliflower
Eleanor Boden (Duchy) ResM 2013 The use of rider specific fitness and Pilates to improve rider position.
Mohammed Al-Issawi PhD 2013 Frost tolerance expression of wheat during ear emergence and flowering
Susan Wren PhD 2013 Socio-economic and livelihood impacts of environmentally supportive bio-enterprise development for agro-/pastoral communities in Samburu Heartland, Kenya.
Hail Rihan PhD 2013 Artificial seed production from microshoots of cauliflower and their preservation and conversion
Fadil Al-Swedi PhD 2013 Genetic transformation of cauliflower with anti-stress genes
Shiren Mohamed 2012 The effects of elevated CO2, drought and mineral nutrition on the seed yield and quality of Safflower
Fazal Hadi PhD 2010 The physiological and molecular characteristics of chemically induced abiotic stress resistant mutants of cauliflower
Pankaj Kumar Banik ResM 2010 Future sustainability of organic vegetable production in the UK: Perception of the growers
Rima Rabah Nasser PhD 2009 Physiological aspects of the response to CO2 in Lentils (Lens culinaris Medic.)
Natasha de Vere PhD 2007 The ecology and genetics of Cirsium dissectum in the British Isles and implications for its conservation
Ahmed Abdullah PhD 2007 An evaluation of multivariate statistical techniques for the analysis of yield from barley breeding trials data
Ellis Luckhurst MPhil 2007 The effect of temperature on heading dates of winter cauliflower in west Cornwall.
Jihad Samaan PhD 2007 Characterisation of grain quality of Syrian durum wheat genotypes affecting milling performance and end-use quality.
Ehab Metwali PhD 2006 Improving abiotic resistance in cauliflower by mutagenesis and agrobacterium mediated transformation.
Gail Hastings MPhil 2004 An evaluation of the chemical composition of forage maize during vegetative development and grain fill.
Paul Challinor PhD 2003 An evaluation of pumice, unloaded clinoptilolite and nutrient-loaded clinoptilolite zeolites, as plant growth substrates in the intensive production of long season glasshouse crops.
Felisbertha Cunha PhD 2002 The influence of extracts of Ascophyllum nodosum on plant and soil-borne pathogen interactions.
Manal Eed PhD 2001 The resistance to salt of Brassica sps. and improved resistance by direct selection and mutagenesis.
Stephen Burchett PhD 2000 The mechanism of action of liquid seaweed extracts in the manipulation of frost resistance in winter barley.
Nicholas Saunders MPhil 1997 An evaluation of the effects of extracts of Ascophyllum nodosum and surface water on the frost resistance of crop plants.
Martin Kieffer PhD 1996 The in-vitro manipulation of cauliflower meristematic tissues for utilisation in genetic improvement programmes.
Christine Deane PhD 1994 Whole plant and tissue culture studies on frost tolerance in cauliflower (with National University of Ireland, Maynooth)
Phil Le Grice PhD 1993 The role of ice nucleation active bacteria in frost damage to early sown Solanum tuberosum var. Jersey Royal.
Janice Bateson PhD 1990 In-vitro selection and characterization of lead resistant somaclonal variants from Daucus carota L.
Grants & contracts
Grants in last 5 years
1998-01 Micropropagation of Agapanthus. £2,000.
1998-02 Climatic effects on the vernalization and curd growth of winter cauliflower and subsequent fluctuations in supply. MAFF HORT/LINK £358,000 (joint with HRI/Marshall Bros./Elsoms Seeds/OLGA).
2001-02 Knowledge transfer initiative on impacts and adaptation to climate change in agriculture. MAFF Open Contract CTE0006, with IGER. £39,228.
2001-03 TCS PE Simmons Ltd. £79,000.
2003-05 KTP Shipton Mill Ltd. £81,500.
2002-06 Characterisation of grain quality of Syrian durum wheat genotypes affecting milling performance and pasta quality. (PhD programme). The Government of Syria £36,000.
2003-07 The effects of elevated CO2 and drought on the physiology and yield of Lentils. (PhD programme). The Government of Syria £36,000.
2003-07 Selection and genetic modification for improved stress resistance in cauliflower. (PhD programme). University of Plymouth Studentship.
2004-07 The suitability of multivariate analysis for the analysis of field crop data in Syria. (PhD programme). The Government of Syria £36,000.
2004 Personal Travel Award.The New Phytologist Trust £750.
2004 Ice nucleation, ice travel and frost damage in wheat at ear emergence. Seale-Hayne Education Trust. £2,500.
2006 The determination of Frost Tolerance of Miscanthus rhizomes. BiCal Ltd. £2,000
2007 Abiotic stress resistance evaluation in cauliflower. Pakistan High Commission. Postdoc Scholarship Muhammad Khan. $10,000
2007-10 The molecular characterisation of abiotic stress resistance mutants of cauliflower (PhD programme). Pakistan High Commission. £50,000.
2008-11 The expression of frost resistance in wheat as influenced by developmental stage (PhD programme). Iraq Education Commission. £50,000.
2008-11 The effect of drought and elevated CO2 on the production and oil quality of Safflower (PhD programme). Iraq Education Commission. £50,000.
2009-12 Supercooling and frost resistance of wheat at ear emergence (PhD programme). Libyan Higher Education Commission. £50,000.
Personal
Conferences organised
2005 Controlled Environment Users Group Annual Meeting. The Eden Project - the challenges of controlling a large scale CE. 4-7th September 2005, University of Plymouth & The Eden Project.
2007 Controlled Environment Users Group Annual Meeting. Aberystwyth - cutting the costs: towards energy efficient controlled environments. 10-12th September 2007, University of Aberystwyth.