Professor Sebastian Eves-van den Akker
- Head of Plant-Parasite Interactions
Contact
About
Sebastian Eves-van den Akker is Head of Plant-Parasite Interactions at the Crop Science Centre as part of the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge.
Previous Positions
2021 to present - Official Fellow - King’s College Cambridge, England
2018 to 2024 - BBSRC David Phillips Fellow - University of Cambridge, England
2018 to 2021 - Research Fellow - King’s College Cambridge, England
2015 to 2018 - BBSRC Academic Future Leaders Fellow - University of Dundee, Scotland
Qualifications
2010 to 2014 - PhD in Plant Nematode Effectors - University of Leeds, England and The James Hutton Institute, Scotland
2007 to 2010 - BSc Biology - University of Leeds, England
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Awards & Fellowships
2025 - Early Career Achievement Award - Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
2021 - Schroth Faces of the Future Award - The American Phytopathological Society
2018 - New Lecturer Award in human/animal nutrition or crop science - Rank Fund
2016 - Young Researcher in Crop Sciences - Society of Chemical Industry
2016 - Peter Massalski Prize - Scottish Society of Crop Research
2017 - David Miller Award - Society of Chemical Industry
Committees
2020 to present - Invited member - Faculty Opinions
2020 to present - Member - Equality, Diversity and Wellbeing Committee at the Department of Plant Sciences
2019 to 2027 - Appointment to BBSRC Pool of Experts
2018 to present - Secretary - European Society of Nematologists
2014 to 2018 - Committee Member - Society of Chemical Industry Horticultural Group
Public Engagement
2024 - Gatsby Plant Sciences Summer School interview
2020 - The Naked Scientists podcast and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
2020 - Science on Sunday Seminar at the Cambridge Botanical Gardens
2020 - Featured in The Vegetable Farmer November Issue
2018 - Street Food public engagement event, University of Dundee
2016 - Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Inspiration, Innovation, Implementation Presentation
Research
Research Group
Plant-Parasite Interactions based at the Crop Science Centre.
Research Overview
The overarching theme of my research is to combine genomics and molecular biology to understand fundamental questions in host:parasite biology. My group primarily focus on plant-parasitic nematodes because: i) they are a threat to food security in developed and developing countries, and ii) underlying this threat is a wealth of fascinating biology that until very recently has been largely unexplorable.
School of Biological Sciences Theme Affiliations
Publications
Selected publications
Teaching and supervision
Undergraduate Natural Sciences Tripos Part 1B Plant and Microbial Sciences