Biography
Emily is currently a PhD student studying in the Cereal Symbiosis group, Department of Plant Sciences. Her research focuses on the mutually beneficial nutrient exchange between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rice plants. The natural ability of AMF to flush plants with essential nutrients for growth has put wide-scale focus onto the potential to establish AMF systems to replace conventional fertilization practices. It is necessary to provide sustainable agriculture systems such as these as global food security is currently dependent on the availability of depleting and increasingly expensive phosphate fertilizers. Emily hopes to harness the genetic potential of AM symbiosis and will work at the International Rice Research Institute, Philippines as a part of her study. In addition, Emily is a member of JR Biotek Foundation, a non-profit organisation established to tackle food security in Africa by sharing knowledge and technical skills in applied biosciences and STEM.
