From leaf pores to parasites: Symposium showcases plant science research
The Centre for Plant Science Symposium welcomed researchers from across the University and beyond, to share and collaborate on the latest plant science research.
Last week’s event was an opportunity for the plant research community to come together and explore a range of research projects, as well as how the Centre for Plant Science’s work is contributing to the University’s overall research and sustainability goals.
In his opening address, Professor Andrew Macdonald, Pro-Dean for Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Biological Sciences celebrated the work of the Centre and its reputation:
You are key ambassadors for positive research culture and for plant science within, but also beyond, the University of Leeds.
Image: Professor Andrew Fleming presenting at the Centre for Plant Science Symposium
Exploring plant structure and survival
The symposium brought in expertise from outside the institution, with a plenary talk from guest speaker Professor Andrew Fleming from the University of Sheffield.
In his talk, Scaling the Wall in Leaf Development, Professor Fleming shared insights from his interdisciplinary work with physicists, computational biologists, and physiologists to explore how leaf structure and function are shaped. The talk focused on stomata, microscopic pores that regulate gas exchange.
Dr Chris Bell, a UKRI Discovery Fellow in Plant Symbioses from the Faculty of Biological Sciences provided the second plenary, with a talk on Do Parasites Exploit Plant-Mutualist Interactions?
Dr Bell explained how this work aims to uncover the ways in which plants prioritise resource allocation and how this knowledge can be applied to improve crop resilience.
Showcasing existing and emerging research
The day featured presentations from current members of the Centre:
- Dr Chi-Chuan (Thomas) Lin (MCB, Baker team) on redox regulation and phase separation in plant stress responses.
- Dr Brigita Simonaviciene (SoB, Benitez-Alfonso team) on cell wall mechanisms in water stress responses.
- Dr Catriona Walker (SoB, Bennett team) on cytokinin’s role in inflorescence development.
- Dr Suruchi Roychoudhry (SoB, Kepinski team) on root system architecture.
- Dr Wanda Waterworth (SoB, West team) on genome safeguarding during germination.
- Dr Jing An (SoB, Denecke team) on dissecting the plant secretory pathway.
There was also a flash talk session, where early career researchers and new primary investigators from across faculties delivered 5-minute presentations demonstrating the breath and multidisciplinary nature of plant science research at Leeds.
Thanks to all involved in organising – a stimulating programme of science and nice to see some different faces. Already made a new connection.
The aim of this event was to bring together everyone working in plant sciences - across the University and beyond – to celebrate our achievements over the past year and hear from researchers at all stages of their careers. As well as the talks, we placed an emphasis this year on creating more opportunities to network and interact. There was a lot of energy in the room, and I look forward to hearing more about how collaborations are taken forward.
About the Centre for Plant Science
The Centre for Plant Science at Leeds is a cross-faculty research centre of excellence in plant sciences, including cell and molecular biology, genetics & genomics, environmental plant physiology and plant-soil relations.
The Centre has involvement in many European consortia and an extensive range of international collaborations including with the USA, India, Japan and China.
Further information
Find out more about our work in plant science research.
For further information about the work of the Centre for Plant Science, contact Dr Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso.
