Research Group
Synthetic Biology for Engineering Plant Growth
Research Overview
I am mainly a stay-at-home mum but I also carry out independent plant science research as a volunteer.
I am working on taking photographs of gametophyte ferns, to show the developmental stages of the prothallus from filamentous stage to the emergence of the first sporophyte leaf. The challenge in this work is to have sufficient depth of field in my photos to show the whole tiny prothallus in focus.
To achieve this, I use focus stacking technology. My photographs and the equipment that I use are all shown in my image library at: http://www.chlorophyllosophy.co.uk/
The image library also contains the complete photograph collection of Professor M. B. Wilkins, who was Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Glasgow, when I was an undergraduate student there. If anybody would like to use any of these images, please do get in touch.
Previous Positions
2003 to 2010 - Ontology Curator - Gene Ontology Project, EMBL-EBI, Hinxton, UK
2001 to 2003 - Postdoctoral Researcher in Synthetic Biology research group - Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK
Qualifications
1997 - BSc Hons in Botany - University of Glasgow, Scotland
2001 - PhD in Antirrhinum majus flower development and the role of cycloidea in generating symmetry - John Innes Centre, Norwich
Key Publications
'Macrophotography of fern gametophytes using a focus stacking system', (2018), Pteridologist.
'Photographing The Fern Gametophyte Developmental Series – The First Attempt', (2017) Pteridologist.
For all publications, see About the itinerant botanist
Awards
2017 - Biomaker Spirit Award
Grants
2018 - OpenPlant grant: £5000 to further develop focus stacking microscope design, and provide documentation and video guides for anyone who would like to copy the design.
2017 - Biomaker grant: £1000 to develop focus stacking microscope.
