Research
I currently work on cereal-fungal interactions with a range of pathogens including Yellow rust, Powdery mildew and the ergot fungus Claviceps purpurea. I am looking to further develop my own research programme into the mycotoxin-producing ergot fungus (Claviceps purpurea) that infects all cereals. In my research I am looking for sources of resistance, and currently utilising RNASeq data to enrich QTL analysis. On the fungal side, I am looking for routes that alkaloids may be taking to contaminate grain as well as understanding the genes that underpin the alkaloid biosynthetic pathway. Ergot alkaloid contamination of grain is a very timely subject as there are regulatory bodies worldwide considering introducing limits of alkaloids in grain and food products as monitoring projects have discovered the presence of EAs despite the absence of sclerotia, and there is industry interest in investigating this further.