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66% of tropical forests have transitioned to novel temperature regimes, including hyperdiverse cloudforests in the Colombian

New temperatures in two thirds of key tropical forest

15 October 2024

Two thirds of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in tropical forests are experiencing new temperature conditions as our climate changes, research co-authored by David Edwards from the Department of Plant Sciences shows. KBAs identify the most important places on Earth for species and their habitats. The new study – by Exeter...

Nicola Patron head of the Plant Molecular Engineering group at the University of Cambridge

Nicola Patron awarded new grant for global centre for plant resilience

7 October 2024

Nicola Patron , head of the Plant Molecular Engineering group at the University of Cambridge, has received a five-year grant to fund a new International Research Center for Enhancing Plant Resilience . The grant is from the recent call, ‘ Global Centres (GC) addressing global challenges through bioeconomy ’. This is a...

Front of building Department of Plant Sciences University of Cambridge

Post-doctoral Research Fellowship Open Day applications open

1 October 2024

We welcome approaches from candidates who are thinking of applying for externally funded Post-Doctoral Fellowships, such as Royal Society University Research Fellowships, BBSRC Discovery Fellowships, NERC Independent Research Fellowships, European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants or EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action...

Sebastian Eves-van den Akker appointed Professor of Biotic Interactions

16 September 2024

The Department of Plant Sciences is delighted to announce that Sebastian Eves-van den Akker has been appointed as Professor of Biotic Interactions from 1 October 2024. In parallel, Christine Miller has also been appointed as a Professor of Biotic Interactions in the Department of Zoology. Together these two co-ordinated...

Leonie Luginbuehl outside the Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge.

Department of Plant Sciences researcher wins major European funding

5 September 2024

Leonie Luginbuehl from the Department of Plant Sciences is one of nine Cambridge researchers to receive a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant in the latest round. The grant will support her research on harnessing mechanisms for plant carbon delivery to symbiotic soil fungi for sustainable food...

Nepal, wheat growing district. Image credit: J. Smith, University of Cambridge

Developing wheat disease early warning systems for subsistence farmers in Africa and Asia

2 September 2024

One of the most serious threats to global wheat producers comes from the airborne spores of fungal pathogens known as wheat rusts ( Puccinia spp. ). Wheat rusts can devastate harvests across sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, threatening food security and livelihoods in regions under pressure from climate change. Early...

Global timber supply threatened as climate change pushes cropland northwards

29 August 2024

Climate change will move and reduce the land suitable for growing food and timber, putting the production of these two vital resources into direct competition, a new study has found. The sight of vineyards in Britain is becoming more common as hotter summers create increasingly suitable conditions for growing grapes. But...

Jen McGaley receiving her award at ICOM 2024

Jen McGaley wins award for innovative mycorrhizal research at ICOM 2024

19 August 2024

Jen McGaley, from the Cereal Symbiosis Group at the Crop Science Centre, has been awarded the ‘Best Paper in Applied Agricultural Mycorrhizal Research’ at the International Conference on Mycorrhiza (ICOM) 2024 . This recognition highlights Jen’s work in advancing our understanding of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis...

The accompanying confocal 3D projection of DAPI- and HCR in situ-labelled pre-parasitic Heterodera schachtii visualises transcripts of parasitism effectors made within the gland cells. Image source: Dr Alexis L Sperling.

Uncovering the effectorome: new insights into plant-parasitic nematode infection strategies

12 August 2024

Researchers from the Plant-Parasite Interactions group at the Crop Science Centre have made a significant breakthrough in understanding how plant-parasitic nematodes infect crops. These tiny parasitic worms pose a serious threat to global food security by secreting special proteins, called effectors, from their pharyngeal...

Next generation biosensor reveals gibberellin’s critical role in legume nitrogen-fixation

31 July 2024

A next generation biosensor has revealed gibberellin’s critical role in legume nitrogen-fixation – paving the way for more productive legume crops and self-fertilising cereals. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have demonstrated that the plant hormone gibberellin (GA) is essential for the formation and maturation...

New temperatures in two thirds of key tropical forest

Nicola Patron awarded new grant for global centre for plant resilience

Post-doctoral Research Fellowship Open Day applications open

Sebastian Eves-van den Akker appointed Professor of Biotic Interactions

Department of Plant Sciences researcher wins major European funding

Developing wheat disease early warning systems for subsistence farmers in Africa and Asia

Global timber supply threatened as climate change pushes cropland northwards

Jen McGaley wins award for innovative mycorrhizal research at ICOM 2024

Uncovering the effectorome: new insights into plant-parasitic nematode infection strategies

Next generation biosensor reveals gibberellin’s critical role in legume nitrogen-fixation

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