Dr Nicola Patron

Research Group

Plant Molecular Engineering

Research Overview 

We use engineering approaches to understand biological complexity and advance plant biotechnology. Our research is focused on understanding how quantitative plant phenotypes emerge from network functions and exploring and utilising metabolic diversity. Our long-term goals are to develop the knowledge and technologies required to optimise crop performance through the rational engineering of regulatory networks and to provide routes for the sustainable use of natural products used in medicine, industry, and agriculture.

Previous positions

•    2016 – Group Leader, The Earlham Institute, UK
•    2013 – 2016 Synthetic Biology Lead, The Sainsbury Laboratory, UK
•    2009 – 2013 Senior Scientist, Agribio, Australia
•    2003 – 2007 Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of British Columbia, Canada
•    2000 – 2003 Postdoctoral Researcher, John Innes Centre, UK

Qualifications

•    PhD, University of East Anglia 
•    BSc (Hons) Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of East Anglia  

Key publications

•    An improved Nicotiana benthamiana bioproduction chassis provides novel insights into nicotine biosynthesis (2023) 
•    Tunable control of insect pheromone biosynthesis in Nicotiana benthamiana. (2023) 
•    Reconstitution of monoterpene indole alkaloid biosynthesis in genome-engineered Nicotiana benthamiana. (2023)
•    Biofoundry-assisted expression and characterization of plant proteins. 2021 Sep 11;6(1):ysab029 
•    Rational design of minimal synthetic promoters for plants. Nucleic Acids Res. 2020 Dec 2;48(21):11845-11856. 

All publications

See Google Scholar 

Websites

Patron Lab
Black in Plant Science
SUSPHIRE 
EngBio IRC 
OpenPlant

Engagement and Media

•    2020, Essay in Neo.Life: 25 Visions for the Future of Our Species 
•    2019, BBC Radio 4, Gene mapping wildflowers to find genes that govern the creation of molecules with medicinal potential
•    2019 The Telegraph, ‘The global race to harness the smell of insect sex in a bid to end the need for pesticides’
•    2018, The Guardian, ‘Sexy plants’ on track to replace harmful pesticides to protect crops