The Global Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. George's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
About George
Positions and education:
2023 鈥 present Associate Head of School (Biology), 探花视频 and Marine Sciences, 探花视频
2021 鈥 present Associate Professor of Plant and Fungal Biology,听探花视频 and Marine Sciences, 探花视频
2016 鈥 2021 Lecturer in Applied Biology and Programme Lead, 探花视频 and Marine Sciences, 探花视频
2012 鈥撎2016 Research Fellow, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter
2007 鈥 2012 Research Fellow, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter
2006 鈥 2007 Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Plant Science Group, IBLS, University of Glasgow
1999 鈥 2006 PhD,听University of Glasgow
1994 鈥 1999 B.Sc.(Hons), Genetics (With Work Placement)听University of Glasgow
Research interests:
Research in my group centres around听plant-pathogen interactions and听the use of complementary imaging modalities in plant stress biology. We focus on (1) understanding the cellular and molecular basis of rice blast disease and (2) non-invasive image-based diagnosis of plant disease and stress biology.
Rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae) kills enough rice each year to feed 60 million people. We are working to understand the basic processes of infection and use molecular and imaging-based techniques. We routinely use minimally invasive methods such as chlorophyll fluorescence imaging and confocal microscopy, which is allows us to explore in detail and with sensitivity, mechanisms of infection. In addition, we use molecular genetic manipulation (including CRISPR-Cas9) and image-based and molecular diagnostic techniques, which gives a complete toolkit to pursue a research programme in the whole organism and cell biology of plant pathogen interactions.听
Ongoing projects in the lab are (1) The role of the circadian clock in rice blast disease (Ciaran Griffin, UoP studentship), which has shown the importance of both the plant and fungal circadian clocks in determining disease outcome; (2) Fluorescence imaging for Nutrition and Disease (FIND) (Dr Naofel Aljafer and Mrs. Angela Harrop, ERDF, INTERREG funded), which is using plant chlorophyll imaging to give pre-symptomatic diagnosis of plant disease, which has implications for agriculture (3) The role of the chloroplast in plant immunity (Kokila Wickramanayake Pathirannahalage, PhD student).
In addition to our core research in plant pathology, the laboratory is also engaged in several funded collaborative projects (see grants and contracts).
听
Grants awarded since coming to 探花视频:
2024-2025 听UoP Lead Investigator (with Dr Trevor Grigg, RNA Agribio and Dr. Tom Pope, Harper Adams) RNAi control of cabbage stem flea beetle. UKRI Innovate Farming Innovation Programme, Feasibility Round 3 (拢208,000).
2024-2025 听 Knowledge Base Supervisor (with Prof. Mark Fitzsimons, UoP) Biostimulant formulations for agriculture in South Africa. UKRI Innovate African Agriculture KTP (拢250,000).
2021-2023听听听 Co- Investigator (with Dr. Kirsty Matthews Nicholass, Dr. Jon Ellis, Ciaran Griffin, PhD student, UoP) High-throughput screening to assist the genetic improvement of diverse fungi relevant to agriculture. Seale-Hayne Educational Trust (拢7,323).
2021 - 2023听听听Co-Investigator (PI, Professor Mark Fitzsimons, UoP) INTERREG "Recon Soil"
2021 - 2024听听听听Co-Investigator听(PI, Dr Jon Ellis, UoP), Wherefore the magic? Investigating the origin of psychedelic compounds in nature.听Levehulme Trust
2020 - 2024听听听Co-Investigator (PI, Professor Richard Thompson FRS., UoP) BIO-PLASTIC-RISK "Biodegradable Bioplastics 鈥 Assessing Environmental Risk" ID: NE/V007556/1, NERC
2020 - 2022听听听Co- Investigator听(with Ciaran Griffin, PhD student) The metabolic inhibition of sporulation in the rice blast pathogen, Magnaporthe oryzae.听Seale-Hayne Educational Trust.
2018 - 2021听听听Principal Investigator听Agritech Cornwall, FIND Project:听Image-based early diagnosis of plant health. European Regional Development Fund.
2018 - 2020听听听听Principal Investigator (with Dr Will Vevers)听Investigating the biocontrol of fungal pathogens using epiphytic bacteria from Abies nordmanniana.听Seale-Hayne Educational Trust.
2017 - 2019听听听Principal Investigator听Multi-scale imaging of pathogen-chloroplast interaction during rice blast disease progression.听Seale-Hayne Educational Trust.
2017 - 2021听听听听Principal Investigator / PhD听Supervisor听The role of circadian entrainment in rice blast disease.听Faculty of Science and Engineering, 探花视频 University.
听
External examiner:
2024 听 听 External Examiner PhD Megan Lewis, University of Warwick, UK
2023 听 听 External Examiner PhD Ana Lozano, University of Alicante, Spain
2020听听听听听University of Glasgow PhD external examiner
2020, 2021 University of Exeter MRes external examiner
Invited lectures:
2023 听Research seminar (via Zoom), Rajarata University, Sri Lanka
2022 听Research seminar (via Zoom), University of Basrah, Iraq
2022 听Research seminar (via Zoom), University of Kent, UK
2020听听Research seminar (via Zoom), University of Arkansas, USA
2020听听Research seminar (via Zoom), University of Alicante, Spain
2019听听Invited talk, GARNet Workshop: Advances in Plant Imaging, University of Warwick, UK.
2018听听Research seminar, University of York, UK
2017听听Research seminar, University of Warwick, UK
2016听听Research seminar, University of Alicante, Spain
2016听听Invited lecture series on advanced imaging, University of Alicante, Spain
2015听听Research seminar, University of Durham, UK.
2015听听Research seminar, Centre for Plant Integrative Biology, University of Nottingham, UK.
2015听听12th New Phytologist听workshop 鈥淭he apoplast as battleground for plant鈥搈icrobe interactions鈥 Gie脽en, Germany.
2015听听Research seminar, Institute of Phytomedicine, University of Bonn, Germany.
2014听听Society for Experimental Biology President鈥檚 Medallist Talk (Education & PublicAffairs), Main Meeting, Manchester, UK.
2014听听Society for Experimental Biology, Careers Talk, SEB Main Meeting, Manchester, UK.
Conferences organised:
2017听听听听听听听听听听听听Co-chair, Light-sheet microscopy,听听RMS MMC Meeting , Manchester, UK
2017听听听听听听听听听听听听Co-chair, Imaging pathogenesis in plants,听SEB Main Meeting , Gothenburg, Sweden
2017听听听听听听听听听听听听Co-chair, The research and teaching nexus,听SEB Main Meeting , Gothenburg, Sweden
2016听听听听听听听听听听听Chair, Science with Impact Plenary Session,听SEB Main Meeting , Brighton, UK
2015听听听听听听听听听听听听Co-chair,听Innovations in undergraduate teaching Session,听SEB Main Meeting , Prague, Czech Republic
2014听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听Lead applicant and co-organiser:鈥淯ndergraduates never do anything useful鈥 Workshop, University of Exeter.听(ASPB blog post covering听the event here: http://blog.aspb.org/2014/04/28/research-led-teaching-opportunities-for-early-career-researchers/)
2012听听听听听听听听听听听听Co-organiser, How to be a Great Teacher workshop, International Conference on Arabidopsis Research , Vienna, Austria
2011 鈥 2016听听听听听听听Co-organiser,听Exeter Imaging Network
听
听
Supervised Research Degrees
I am currently Director of Studies for 2 PhD students:
Mrs. Kokila Wickramanayake Pathirannahalage (/staff/kokila-wickramanayake-pathirannahalage) who is working on chloroplastic changes in response to pathogen challenge.
Ms. Peggy McGroary () who is working with Dr. Dana Macgregor on control of gene expression in weeds using VIGS and VOX.
and one ResM student:
Mr. Mohit Biju who is working on an interdisciplinary project on nematode infections of scented narcissi with growers on the Isles of Scilly.
Teaching
I enjoy teaching and have a particular interest in research-led teaching. I currently teach on several plant and molecular biology modules in all undergraduate stages and lead the final year module, BIOL301(Z) Plant Biotechnology: Lectures on plant biotechnology, synthetic biology. Workshops on socioeconomic and ethical aspects, gene mining and GM/GE strategy.
听
Contact George
A404, Portland Square, Drake Circus, 探花视频, PL4 8AA
+44 1752 584487
george.littlejohn@plymouth.ac.uk