With thanks to everyone that applied, we are thrilled to introduce the winners of the 2025 Black in Plant Science Research Excellence Awards. The award recognises talented early career Black or Black heritage researchers working with plants in UK institutions. Both awardees will receive funding to present their work at an International conference this summer. They will also be invited to attend and present at the 2025 Black in Plant Science Annual Conference.
Charlene Dambire
Dr Charlene Kunaka Dambire, PhD, is a Zimbabwe-born plant scientist and Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham’s School of Biosciences, working in Professor Michael Holdsworth’s lab. She holds a BSc Hons in Microbiology (cum laude) from the University of Fort Hare, an MSc in Zoology (Evolutionary Genomics, cum laude) from Stellenbosch University, and a Doctorate in Agriculture from Aberystwyth University. Dr Dambire’s research explores plant proteostasis, with a focus on N-degron pathways that regulate protein stability under environmental stress. She is internationally recognised for her groundbreaking work on oxygen sensing and plant adaptation to altitude, published in leading Nature journals. Her research is driven by a passion for enhancing crop resilience, aiming to improve food security and livelihoods. In recognition of her achievements, she received the 2025 UK Black in Plant Science Research Excellence Award. Beyond her scientific work, Dr Dambire founded Ideas2Careers, a mentorship platform empowering Black girls in STEM, reflecting her dedication to diversity, inclusion, and nurturing the next generation of scientists.
Crispus Mbaluto
Dr. Crispus Mbaluto is a Senior Research Officer at the University of Essex. His research focuses on understanding mechanisms underlying interaction of plants with their environment. Within this broad topic, he is pursuing: (1). Interactions and optimization of multiple stress responses, specifically between aboveground and belowground herbivores, through systemic induced plant-responses. (2). System biology approach to discover novel elements in plant immune systems involved in beneficial microbes – induced resistance, and to model the response of microbes-induced resistance against herbivores. He earned his PhD from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Friedrich-
Schiller-University-Jena in Germany, where he investigated systemic-induced plant responses underpinning interaction between nematode and herbivores in tomato. Following his PhD, he joined Dr. Sharon Zytynska group at the University of Liverpool as a postdoctoral researcher, studying beneficial multi-species interactions in cereal crop system. Dr. Mbaluto was awarded a prestigious MSCA fellowship, to investigate how beneficial microbes boost plant immunity and thereby stimulate plant health. His work generates useful knowledge on plant responses, and so we can apply this knowledge to create sustainable agrifood systems.