Dr Richard Harrison completed his PhD in systems biology at the University of Manchester, followed by a Medical Research Council Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh in bioinformatics and population genetics. He joined East Malling in 2011 as a research leader, taking the role as the head of the genetics, genomics and breeding department in 2016 which carries out both discovery research and commercialisation of new varieties of soft fruit and tree fruit.
In 2019 he moved to Cambridge, as Director of Crop Research overseeing genetics, breeding pathology, biotechnology and data science research departments at NIAB’s Cambridge headquarters as well as some of the statutory services in seed certification and variety testing.
His own research focuses on understanding the evolution and the genetic basis of complex traits, such as the interactions between plants and microbes. His group have worked to understand the evolution and genetic basis of complex traits, such as interactions between plants and microbes. Outputs have included scientific knowledge and solutions to underpin the sustainable development of the agricultural and horticultural industry, using both breeding and biotechnology solutions. Through collaborative work with industrial partners he and his team have delivered disease resistance traits into multiple commercial breeding programmes.
In the UK Richard contributes to a variety of strategic advisory panels both for industry (for example the net-zero advisory board of the National Farmers Union) and for UK funding bodies, such as the BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) and Innovate UK.
He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and in 2019 completed a Nuffield Farming Scholarship, studying the green energy transition required in protected horticultural crops.
