skip to content

Department of Plant Sciences

 

Research Group 

Virology and Molecular Plant Pathology

Biography

John Carr is Professor of Plant Virology at Cambridge University's Department of Plant Sciences. His research interests include viral subversion of plant resistance, viral gene expression, plant-virus-insect vector interactions, the effects of virus infection on interactions of plants with beneficial insects such as pollinators, and the occasional mutualistic effects of viruses on their hosts. He has also done work on resistance against bacterial and fungal plant pathogens. Over the years Carr has also collaborated on practical aspects of plant virology with colleagues in eastern, central and western Africa, particularly on insect-vectored viruses. 

School of Biological Sciences theme affiliations

Teaching

Natural Sciences Tripos: IA Physiology, IB Plant and Microbial Sciences and Part II Plant Sciences.

Previous Positions 

1989 to 1993 - Senior Research Associate under advisor Professor Milton Zaitlin - Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA

1985 to 1989 - Postdoctoral Fellow under advisor Professor Daniel F. Klessig - Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA

1984 to 1985 - Postdoctoral Fellow under advisor Professor Daniel F. Klessig - Department of Cellular, Viral and Molecular Biology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Qualifications 

2023 - ScD - University of Cambridge, UK

1984 - PhD in Biochemistry - University of Liverpool, UK

1980 - BSc in Biochemistry - University of Liverpool, UK

Key Publications 

'The Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 injectisome reprograms host cell translation to evade the inflammatory response', (2025), Nature Communications. 

'Strain-specific differences in the interactions of the cucumber mosaic virus 2b protein with the viral 1a and host Argonaute 1 proteins', (2024), Journal of Virology.

'Investigating the interactions of the cucumber mosaic virus 2b protein with the viral 1a replicase component and the cellular RNA silencing factor Argonaute 1', (2024) Viruses-Basel.

'Biased pollen transfer between virus-infected and non-infected plants by bumblebees favors the paternity of infected plants in cross-pollination', (2023) iScience.

'Differential effects of weather, plant phenology, and predators on the seasonal variation of aphids on cabbage', (2023) Journal of Applied Entomology.

For all publications see Google Scholar or ORCHID.

Awards & Fellowships

2026 - Honory Member - British Society for Plant Pathology 

2021 - Fellow - Linnean Society

2021 - Fellow - Royal Society of Biology

Committees

2026 to 2028 - President - The Cambridge Philosophical Society\

Media

2025 - 'Comment interview for CNN on coverage of article on chemiluminescent plants' - Ms Issy Ronald, CNN London Bureau

2024 - 'Scientists concoct incense from ancient recipe' - BBC

• Head of Virology and Molecular Plant Pathology Group
• Department Safety Officer
Professor John Carr

Contact Details

Email address: 
Department of Plant Sciences,
Downing Street,
Cambridge,
CB2 3EA
01223 766416