Plenary Speaker – Nicola Patron, PhD
Nicola is an Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge using synthetic biology approaches to understand the production of plant specialised metabolites, and to investigate how quantitative plant traits emerge from network functions. Her lab develops tools and technologies for plant biotechnology, with the aim of driving innovation in agriculture and biomanufacturing. Nicola has a PhD in plant molecular biology and did post-doctoral research on plastid metabolism at the John Innes Centre and the University of British Columbia. As a SynBioLEAP fellow, she was recognised as an emerging leader in synthetic biology. Nicola is a co-founder of Black in Plant Science.
Plenary Speaker – Kevin Cox, PhD
Kevin is a HHMI Hanna Gray Fellow who is an Assistant Professor in Biology at WashU and an Assistant Member/Principal Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Kevin earned his Bachelor’s (B.S.) in Biology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2013. He earned his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology at Texas A&M University in Libo Shan’s lab in 2018, where he studied the molecular mechanism of a cotton disease called Bacterial Blight of Cotton. Afterwards, he joined the Danforth Center for his post-doctoral experience in Blake Meyers’ lab, where he focused on developing methods to study spatial gene expression in plants. Kevin started his role as a joint faculty member at WashU and the Danforth Center in July 2024. His lab is interested in understanding how genes are spatially organized in plant tissues and how cells use those genes to communicate with other cells, especially in response to stresses.
Cultivate: Meet our Summer Studentship Cohort
Meet the students from the second year of our Summer Studentship Programme!
Join us to hear directly from these emerging talents about their experiences
and insights gained over the summer. Discover the impact of the
programme and celebrate the achievements of the next generation of plant
scientists.
Chair: Steven Spoel, FRSE
Born to parents from Suriname and the Netherlands,
Steven Spoel is Professor of Cell Signalling and Proteostasis at the University of Edinburgh. After completing an MSc at Utrecht University (Netherlands), he moved to Duke University (USA) for his PhD degree and subsequently was awarded an EMBO Long-Term Fellowship and a Netherlands Science Foundation Rubicon Fellowship for postdoctoral work at the University of Edinburgh. In
2010 he started his lab with a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. He has served as Director of the Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences (2018-2023) and currently is Director of Research for Biological Sciences. Steven has been a recipient of the New Phytologist Tansley Medal, the Early Excellence in Science Award from the Bayer Foundation, and two consecutive grants from the European Research Council and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE). He serves the community in various external roles, including as a member of BBSRC’s Council and as Gatsby Plant Science Advisor.
Speaker: Hamda Hassan
Hamda Hassan, is an undergraduate student at King’s College London studying Biochemistry. What has always interested her most about Plant Biology is the uncovering of the ways in which
microbial communities interact with plants and their respective ecosystems; how this influences plant health, and even human health by means of discovering medicinal the benefits plants resistant to pathogenic microorganisms have. All forms of plant- microbial interactions fascinate me, whether pathogenic or symbiotic. Hamda firmly believes research into Plant health and Biology is arguably one of the most important areas of scientific research, sitting at the intersection of driving innovation for Biotechnology, Genomics, Microbiology and reforming Agriculture. She wishes to become a proficient Microbiologist, and understanding the ways in which microbes interact with our environment first sits at the very foundation of this path.
Outside of Science, she’s a bit of a cinephile and greatly enjoys watching many movies, especially international ones. She’s interested in the ways in which film captures culture, history and the exploration of identity through storytelling.
Speaker: Noir Tucker
Noir Tucker is currently a Plant Science Bsc student at the University of Bristol. Noir’s interest in plants stemmed from their extremely adaptive abilities across the Earth’s varying climates and environments. Once they discovered Ethnobotany, this interest shifted to how plants are used by indigenous people, their benefits, and how plants should be thought of as their own beings with systems and communication methods instead of stand still organisms.
Within Plant Science, plant development and growth is what Noir finds most thought provoking since within it, lies the answer to how plants are able to be so adaptable, ranging from; their flower construction and morphology, leaf shape, root architecture and so forth.
Diverging from Plant Science, they have an interest in herbology mixed with cooking and how these both infused can make the body feel fuelled. They are also interested in creative fields such as; fabric arts like crochet and music, which they utilise during times of relaxation, synonymous with how plants are able to evoke relaxation.
Celebrate: Meet our Research Excellence Awardees
Meet this year’s award winners of the Research Excellence Award!
Learn more about their contributions to the plant sciences from the beginning of their careers to date. Including their most recent experience at ICAR 2025.
Chair: Jade Bleau
Jade Bleau, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the University of Dundee/James Hutton Institute. After finishing her BSc at the University of Leeds, she completed her MRes in Plant and Microbial Biology at the University of Sheffield (UK), working with the vegetable breeding company Enza Zaden (Netherlands). She completed her PhD at the University of Edinburgh and is currently at the University of Dundee, researching the molecular mechanisms behind plant-aphid interactions. Jade is one of the founding members of Black Botanists Week, a campaign first organised in 2020 to promote, encourage, create a safe space for, and find more Black people who love plants.
Speaker: 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:
- Interactions and optimization of multiple stress responses, specifically between aboveground and belowground herbivores through systemic induced plant-responses.
- System biology approach to discover novelelements 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.
Speaker: 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.
Panel: The Journey of Plants through Black Botanist
Join us for an inspiring and educational panel exploring the profound connections between plants, people, and the powerful legacy of Black botanists throughout history and today.
In The Journey of Plants through Black Botanists, we’ll trace the scientific, cultural, and spiritual journeys of plants across continents and generations—through the lens of Black scholars, horticulturists, and plant lovers who have shaped our understanding of the natural world.
Chair: Mikhaela Neequaye
Mikhaela Neequaye, PhD, is a Post-doctoral Research Assistant in the newly established Byers Lab at the John Innes Centre. She is a chemical ecologist, with a background in crop genetics, currently studying the regulation of plant-pollinator interactions.
Mikhaela is a British-Ghanaian and a recent recipient of the Rosalind Franklin Society Award in Science.
Panellist: CARGO Movement
CARGO is a not for profit organisation founded in 2016 by creative director Charles Golding and Poet Lawrence Hoo. CARGO stands for charting African resilience generating opportunities. CARGO Classroom (Classroom without walls) is a pioneering online educational resource series that foregrounds under represented narratives and marginalised individuals, in an attempt to address the inequalities and representational imbalances in the current education system. CARGO’s web platform features more than 10,000 unique global visits a month with users engaging from all 7 continents. Positioning this information on the CARGO Classroom hub will encourage an accessible and engaging learning experience for educators and students from all backgrounds and from all corners of the globe.
Panellist: Christine Eyene
Christine Eyene is an art historian, critic and curator. She is Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Art at Liverpool John Moores University and Research Curator at Tate Liverpool. From 2012 to March 2022, she was Research Fellow in Contemporary Art at the University of Central Lancashire where she worked on Making Histories Visible, a multidisciplinary visual arts research project led by multiple award-winner artist Lubaina Himid CBE RA. In this framework, she developed new research into feminism, sound art, and photography. In 2023 she completed her PhD at Birkbeck, University of London, on the relationship between African literature and visual representation in the work of South African photographer George Hallett (1942-2020) under the supervision of Professor Annie E. Coombes.
Eyene’s areas of research and curatorial practice encompass contemporary African and Diaspora arts, feminism, photography, and non-object-based art practices notably sound art. Her other interests include: socially-engaged initiatives, urban culture, music, design, and new media.”
Panellist: Jessica Ashman
Jessica Ashman (b.1986) is a Jamaican British interdisciplinary artist, based in London. Her practice is informed by the hidden histories of the Black British Jamaican diaspora communities she was raised in, archive as a social political force and Black radical feminist theory and speculative fiction. Ashman is also a keen gardener, allotment holder and trainee horticulturalist, connecting this to her artist practice by exploring Black existence in relation to land, nature, and colonial botanical history.
Ashman’s work combines painting, animation, music and sound into transformative and visceral installations and performances. A Royal College of Art graduate, her work has been supported by Animate Projects, Arts Council England, Focal Points Gallery, New Art Exchange and 198 Contemporary. Ashman has recently finished a 15-month residency at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, as part of UAL’s 20/20 Programme, resulting in her 2025 solo exhibition ‘Those that do not smile will kill me’.
Panellist: Jade Bleau
Jade Bleau, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the University of Dundee/James Hutton Institute. After finishing her BSc at the University of Leeds, she completed her MRes in Plant and Microbial Biology at the University of Sheffield (UK), working with the vegetable breeding company Enza Zaden (Netherlands). She completed her PhD at the University of Edinburgh and is currently at the University of Dundee, researching the molecular mechanisms behind plant-aphid interactions. Jade is one of the founding members of Black Botanists Week, a campaign first organised in 2020 to promote, encourage, create a safe space for, and find more Black people who love plants.
Workshop: Delivering Impact on African Crops
Connect: Working with African crops and scientists.
This workshop will feature a panel of plant scientists focussed on resilient and nutritious crops for Africa. They will discuss the challenges, opportunities, and rewards of researching African plants, collaborating with African scientists, and their contributions to capacity building and the integration of innovative technologies into African research.
Chair: Nicola Patron
Nicola is an Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge using synthetic biology approaches to understand the production of plant specialised metabolites, and to investigate how quantitative plant traits emerge from network functions. Her lab develops tools and technologies for plant biotechnology, with the aim of driving innovation in agriculture and biomanufacturing. Nicola has a PhD in plant molecular biology and did post-doctoral research on plastid metabolism at the John Innes Centre and the University of British Columbia. As a SynBioLEAP fellow, she was recognised as an emerging leader in synthetic biology. Nicola is a co-founder of Black in Plant Science.
Katherine Denby
Professor Katherine Denby is a member of the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (cnap.org.uk) in the Biology Department at the University of York. The research in her group focuses on plant disease resistance, novel bio-control strategies and crop improvement for disease resistance, yield and quality traits through integrating genomics, transcriptomics, network analysis and quantitative genetics. Her lab works mainly on leafy vegetables, using large-scale data and new plant breeding techniques to meet the needs of sustainable agriculture in the UK and Global South and new production systems, such as vertical farming. She is also Editor in Chief of The Plant Journal.
Oluwaseyi Shorinola
Oluwaseyi (Seyi for short) Shorinola is an Assistant Professor of Plant Biology at the University of Birmingham. His research harnesses the power of genomics and genetics to uncover the molecular basis of productivity and quality traits in crops, with experience spanning over ten crops. Seyi is particularly passionate about promoting the improvement and adoption of underutilised crops to enhance global nutritional diversity. He recently led a major initiative to develop reference and population genomic resources for four African crops: tef, yam bean, lablab, and kei apple. His work not only advances scientific understanding but also supports sustainable agriculture and food security across diverse regions.
Beatrice Ifie
Dr Beatrice Elohor Ifie is a Senior Research Fellow in Plant Breeding at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Wales, United Kingdom. She leads the Miscanthus Breeding Programme at IBERS. Beatrice uses innovative plant breeding approaches to accelerate genetic gains in crops for high yield, resilience to stress, and quality traits. Before joining IBERS, she was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana and Leader, Maize Breeding Programme at West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), UG. Beatrice has contributed to the training of Plant Breeders at the Master of Philosophy and PhD levels in Africa. She developed an instructor guide and applied learning activities for the plant breeding e-learning in Africa (PBEA) in partnership with faculty at Iowa State University, USA.
Workshop: Culturally sensitive mentoring
Cultivate: Inclusive Academic and Professional Growth
In today’s diverse research and academic environments, mentoring must go beyond one-size-fits-all approaches. This interactive workshop equips mentors with the tools to engage meaningfully across cultures. Participants will explore identity, bias, and communication strategies to foster inclusive, supportive mentoring relationships that empower mentees from all backgrounds.
Chair: Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso
Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso, PhD, is a Professor of Plant Sciences and UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the University of Leeds. She is originally from Cuba and studied at the University of La Habana. She completed a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Cordoba, Spain and did postdoctoral placements at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (New York, USA) and at the John Innes Centre (JIC) (Norwich, UK). Yoselin’s research focuses on investigating the mechanisms regulating intercellular communication in plants using biological, physical and mathematical approaches.
Chloe Lewis
Chloe Lewis is the award winning founder and Programme Director of The Catalyst Collective, mentoring organisation that pairs Black teenage girls with Black women mentors for high impact mentoring experiences. Launched in 2020 with just 6 pairs, this year The Catalyst will match 125 Black girls up with professional Black women to help achieve their dreams (www.thecatalystcollective.co.uk).
Chloe is also Strategic Adviser to the Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students, the higher education regulator in England. Prior to this, she held policy, procurement and private office roles at the Department for Education. Before joining the Civil Service, Chloe worked in various education charities and settings across the UK and abroad.
Finally, Chloe is final year, part-time doctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge researching the experiences of Black British PhD students and in particular, examining the dynamics of their relationships with their supervisors.
Sally Osei-Appiah
Dr Sally Osei-Appiah is currently the EDI Learning and Development Manager at the University of Leeds, responsible for developing and implementing an institutional, strategic EDI Learning and Development Plan, including behaviour change interventions and EDI-related leadership development programmes. Prior to this role, Sally had served in both academic and professional services’ roles, the most recent being leading the institutional Postgraduate Research (PGR) Diversity project for student success, aimed at addressing systemic barriers faced by PGRs from underrepresented groups. A certified coach, Sally also Co- Chairs the Black Female Academics’ Network, a global network that seeks to empower and support the careers and leadership of Black females in higher education.
Katharine Hubbard
Dr Katharine Hubbard is a National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow of Advance HE, and is currently Director of Learning Enhancement and Academic Practice (LEAP) at Buckinghamshire New University. See Biography for more details.
Katharine is a leading expert in areas including equity within HE, awarding gaps, effective pedagogies within STEM subjects and career support for education focussed academics, including in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). She publishes impactful educational research and scholarship in international peer-reviewed journals (Katharine’s GoogleScholar profile).
She is the author of a sector leading Inclusive Education Framework, funded by the Quality Assurance Agency and highlighted as excellent practice in reports by both QAA and AdvanceHE.
Workshop: Working beyond academia, different routes
Connect: Broadening Horizons for Researchers and Scholars
Academic careers are just one path among many. This workshop guides participants through the varied landscape of professional opportunities beyond the university setting. From industry to policy, entrepreneurship to NGOs, learn how to identify transferable skills, build relevant networks, and confidently pivot into fulfilling careers.
Chair: John Baison
John Baison, PhD, is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and cereal geneticist based at RAGT Seeds Ltd. focusing on the implementation of genomic selection methods in cereal breeding programmes, and liaison with breeders and statisticians to ensure delivery of molecular genetics and bioinformatics analyses. John completed his PhD on the application of genetic and genomic tools in Apple breeding at the ARC in South Africa. In June 2015, John was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Karl Kemp Foundation to join the Bio4Energy project at Umea Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Sweden as a bioinformatician. This was followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship from The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) in the Forest Genetics group at UPSC as lead bioinformatician.
Lisa-Dionne Morris
Professor Lisa-Dionne Morris is a distinguished UK-based Black female leader in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine), industrialist, and business strategist who is transforming the landscape of leadership, equity, and diversity in academia and beyond. Her commitment to driving Research Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) has led her to found and direct the Black Female Academics’ Network, a powerful global network dedicated to championing EDI across sectors. As a dynamic advocate, she invites business leaders, entrepreneurs, and allies to join her vision of an equitable future where diversity and inclusion are foundational to success in STEM and beyond.
Bharat Pokhrel
Dr Bharat Pokhrel is a Research Development Manager at the University of Leeds, where he supports the development of large-scale research and innovation proposals in engineering and physical sciences. With a background in biology, biochemistry, and biotechnology, he holds a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Bharat’s career has taken him from academic research into science funding and strategy. Before joining Leeds, Bharat worked at UKRI’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) as a Portfolio Manager, helping shape strategic investments and support national research portfolios. In his current role, he works closely with academics and partners to develop collaborative funding proposals and align university capabilities with emerging funding opportunities.
Brian Chimzinga
Plant Health and Seed Inspector, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), UK. Brian is a crop scientist and certified seed inspector specialising in cereals and pulses, currently working with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). His work focuses on import inspections, plant health surveys to support pest and disease status declarations (including “not known to occur” claims), and horizon scanning for emerging threats. With a strong background in regulatory plant health, Brian is also pursuing a postgraduate study in Plant Health and Biosecurity at Harper Adams University. He is passionate about building visibility for Black and other ethnic minorities professionals in the plant science sector.