New Professor of Plant Microbiology
13/05/2013
Phil Poole will join the Department as Professor of Plant Microbiology 1st September 2013.
Phil is currently a project leader at the John Innes Centre and has made ground breaking discoveries about the physiology of symbiotic bacteria. http://www.jic.ac.uk/profile/philip-poole.asp
Finalist in BBSRC “Impact” award for 2013
24/04/2013
The Department of Plant Sciences was one of six finalists selected in the BBSRC’s “Activating Impact” competition, part of the BBSRC’s “Fostering Innovation” awards for 2013. The awards are designed to raise awareness of how biosciences can contribute to society and the economy, and Plant Sciences, together with Oxford’s Research Services and Isis Innovation, was recognized for the teamwork that supported research by Professor Sarah Gurr. It is hoped that Professor Gurr’s research will produce a safe and effective antifungal to treat major crops, and the behind-the-scenes work in the Department, for example, to help with the contracts this has required, came to the attention of the selection panel. There is more information about the competition here http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/people-skills-training/2013/130201-pr-impact-award-finalists-announced.aspx
Graduate student presentations
10/04/2013
Last month 5 of our first year graduate students gave presentations to a group of Administrative and Technical support staff within the department.
The presentations were held at the Oxford Botanic Garden and gave the students the opportunity to showcase their research to a non-specialist audience, highlighting the real-world relevance of their DPhil projects. (This session formed part of their assessment module entitled "Getting the public excited about your science".)
The afternoon was a great success and was rounded off with tea and cake in the Conservatory at the Oxford Botanic Garden.
