Plenary Speaker – Professor 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 in the University of La Habana. She completed a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 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.
Plenary Speaker – International Special Guest
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.
Speaker: Phoebe Allen
Phoebe is a student of Global Sustainable development at the University of Warwick. Her longstanding passion for environmental justice and the fundamentals plant biology is what drove her to apply for this studentship. In future, she hopes to be a force for trans-disciplinary and sustainable solutions to food security issues, by harnessing crop improvement technology to modify staple foods like rice and maize. She has led and participated in a number of sustainability campaigns about agro-ecology and conservation which she found very enjoyable. Aside from academics, Pheobe loves to dance, cook and rollerskate!
Speaker: Nalo Magar
Nalo is currently an undergraduate Biology student at the University of York. Her curiosity for biology developed through exploring emerging technologies in bioengineering, particularly how cellular processes can be harnessed to develop new therapeutics. She is especially drawn to the potential of plant-based systems to contribute to human health, including how bioactive compounds from African medicinal plants could be used to improve treatment accessibility and address disparities in treatment outcomes for African women.
Nalo is particularly fascinated by cell signalling and developmental biology, and how these processes operate in plants. She finds it compelling how plants coordinate growth and respond to their environment through local signalling, offering a unique perspective on how cells communicate and function collectively.
Beyond academic work, Nalo is strongly committed to improving access to education and reducing inequalities in academia. Through her role with the University of York Black Access Programme, she has had the honour of guiding Black students through tailored mentoring and work to address barriers they may face when applying to university, particularly within predominantly white institutions.
Speaker: Tinotenda Matemera
Tinotenda is a second-year BSc Genetics student at the University of Essex.
Her interest in plant science is rooted in its critical role in food security, sustainability, and climate resilience. This has motivated her to explore how plant genetics, bioinformatics, and gene editing can be applied to enhance crop resilience and address agricultural challenges, particularly in African regions that are heavily impacted by climate change and food insecurity.
Tinotenda is especially drawn to plant genetics as it is an innovative and forward-looking field within plant science. It moves beyond the traditional study of plants to focus on understanding and improving how they function and adapt, using tools such as CRISPR, bioinformatics, and genomic analysis.
Outside of plant science, she engages in hobbies that allow her to be creative and decompress. Tinotenda enjoys baking, where she can experiment with different recipes and ingredients to create both simple and more complex treats. She also enjoys arts and crafts, which provide an outlet for creativity through hands-on projects and design. These activities help her maintain balance, unwind from academic study, and keep her mind engaged in a different, more creative way.
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.
Speaker: Ousamane Dao
Ousmane Dao is a plant scientist specialising in algal photosynthesis and its applications to sustainable agriculture and climate solutions. He is currently based in the Department of Biology at the University of York, where his research focuses on understanding key processes such as carbon concentrating mechanisms, photorespiration, and their crosstalk, with the aim of improving photosynthetic efficiency and developing sustainable bio-based production systems. His work has contributed to the discovery of novel components of algal photorespiration and to advancing our understanding of how photosynthetic systems can be optimised for enhanced carbon fixation and biofuel production. More broadly, his research sits at the intersection of fundamental biology and global challenges such as food security and climate change. Beyond the lab, Ousmane is a dedicated advocate for representation in STEM. He is committed to mentoring and supporting the next generation of scientists and to promoting diversity in plant science through teaching, supervision, and community engagement. He is the recipient of the Black in Plant Science Research Excellence Award, recognising his contributions to plant science and commitment to inclusive research communities.
Speaker: Sibongile Zimba
Dr Sibongile Zimba is a Research Fellow at the University of Bristol whose research aims to improve crop nutritional quality and resilience to climate stress. Growing up in Malawi prompted her passion for plant science to tackle global hunger and malnutrition. As a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, in Malawi, she taught and mentored students, supervised research projects, and developed training resources that continue to support good agricultural practice.
Dr Zimba’s PhD (University of Leeds, 2024), funded by UKRI-GCRF-AFRICAP, explored drought-tolerance mechanisms, identifying traits linked to resilience. This work contributed to the development of elite drought-tolerant sorghum varieties. She presented her work internationally and published as both first and co-author in journals (Plants People Planet, Current Biology, Nature Food, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, CABI) and book chapters.
Now a Bristol Futures Research Development Fellow (2025-29), Dr Zimba investigates how combined climate stresses-including heat, drought, and elevated CO₂-affect wheat roots-soil interaction and grain nutritional quality. Integrating plant biology with machine learning, she aims to accelerate the development of climate-resilient, nutrient-rich crops for a nutritionally secure future. In 2025 she received the Rank Prize (The Lord Selborne Early Career Researcher Presentation Prize) and multiple travel grants to international conferences, including New Phytologist Next-Generation Scientists, Rank Prize Symposium, Rosalind Franklin Women in Wheat champions among others.
Dr Zimba is committed to inclusiveness in science, mentoring the next generation of scientists. She is an active member of the Association of Applied Biologists, Women in Crop Science, Black in Plant Science among others. She contributes to initiatives that advance research culture, equity, and diversity, and engages in outreach to inspire marginalised communities.