There is a 7.5 month graduate training opportunity at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany. The successful applicant will work on two projects; Improvement of Vicia faba (field beans) for the UK and Aggressiveness of Yellow Rust Isolates in Wheat.
Both projects include molecular biology and glasshouse/growth room based assays. Full training will be given. The position would suit a recent graduate with a Biological Sciences Degree and an interest in Plant Sciences. Salary £1275/month (stipend), immediate start.
NIAB (The National Institute of Agricultural Botany) is based in Cambridge and is an independent plant research organization.
For further information or to apply submit a CV and covering letter to amanda.cottage@niab.com.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Free Seminar: 17 November 2009
Natural Fibres in Construction: Innovative Applications and Processes
Free Seminar: 17 November 2009, Hughes Hall, Cambridge, 2:00pm- 5.30pm
Natural fibres have been utilised in construction for millennia, they have particular advantages for a low carbon future. The event, with speakers from academia and industry will focus on the technical aspects of utilising natural fibres in a modern context and provide a forum for the latest research on new natural composites. The Renewable House at the Buildings Research Establishment, (delivered by the NNFCC and funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change DECC), and the Suffolk Housing Society development at Haverhill, are practical examples of the application of natural fibres. However these natural fibres have yet to enter mainstream application. Why is this? What are the opportunities and challenges facing natural fibres in construction?
Download the details
Free Seminar: 17 November 2009, Hughes Hall, Cambridge, 2:00pm- 5.30pm
Natural fibres have been utilised in construction for millennia, they have particular advantages for a low carbon future. The event, with speakers from academia and industry will focus on the technical aspects of utilising natural fibres in a modern context and provide a forum for the latest research on new natural composites. The Renewable House at the Buildings Research Establishment, (delivered by the NNFCC and funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change DECC), and the Suffolk Housing Society development at Haverhill, are practical examples of the application of natural fibres. However these natural fibres have yet to enter mainstream application. Why is this? What are the opportunities and challenges facing natural fibres in construction?
Download the details
Friday, October 16, 2009
CPPS Seminar 22nd October 2009
Cristobal Uauy from Department of Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre.
“What domestication missed: exploiting wild emmer to improve wheat”
Department of Plant Sciences Large Lecture Theatre, University of Cambridge
Wild emmer wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides; DIC) has long been recognized as a potential source of valuable alleles for a series of important agronomic traits in wheat. We have recently isolated two such genes from wild emmer through positional cloning. Gpc-B1 is a NAC transcription factor that improves the efficiency of mineral remobilization from senescing leaves to grains. The wild emmer allele accelerates senescence by 2-3 days and increases grain N, Zn and Fe concentration by 10-15%. Closely linked to Gpc-B1 (0.3 cM) we identified Yr36, a gene that confers non race-specific or partial resistance to Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (PST), the yellow rust pathogen. This gene encodes a kinase-START domain protein, representing a novel gene architecture, and its resistance was shown to be temperature dependant. Both Gpc-B1 and Yr36 are either non-functional or deleted in all cultivated durum and bread wheat varieties. However, backcross introgressions of the DIC segment including Gpc-B1 and Yr36 confers consistent increases in grain protein and micronutrient concentration in tetraploid and hexaploid wheat varieties as well as improving resistance to PST in susceptible cultivars. This suggests that the Gpc-B1 and Yr36 wild emmer alleles have the potential to contribute to the improvement of wheat nutritional value and yellow rust resistance in a wide range of germplasm. During the seminar we will discuss strategies to reduce the threshold for gene cloning in polyploid wheat and the approaches and tools used for functional characterization of these genes. Overall, our work with emmer argues for the importance of using wild species to discover and recover valuable alleles for modern agriculture. This will become increasingly important as we face new challenges to secure a sustainable food supply in a changing environment.
Download a pdf of the poster.
“What domestication missed: exploiting wild emmer to improve wheat”
Department of Plant Sciences Large Lecture Theatre, University of Cambridge
Wild emmer wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides; DIC) has long been recognized as a potential source of valuable alleles for a series of important agronomic traits in wheat. We have recently isolated two such genes from wild emmer through positional cloning. Gpc-B1 is a NAC transcription factor that improves the efficiency of mineral remobilization from senescing leaves to grains. The wild emmer allele accelerates senescence by 2-3 days and increases grain N, Zn and Fe concentration by 10-15%. Closely linked to Gpc-B1 (0.3 cM) we identified Yr36, a gene that confers non race-specific or partial resistance to Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (PST), the yellow rust pathogen. This gene encodes a kinase-START domain protein, representing a novel gene architecture, and its resistance was shown to be temperature dependant. Both Gpc-B1 and Yr36 are either non-functional or deleted in all cultivated durum and bread wheat varieties. However, backcross introgressions of the DIC segment including Gpc-B1 and Yr36 confers consistent increases in grain protein and micronutrient concentration in tetraploid and hexaploid wheat varieties as well as improving resistance to PST in susceptible cultivars. This suggests that the Gpc-B1 and Yr36 wild emmer alleles have the potential to contribute to the improvement of wheat nutritional value and yellow rust resistance in a wide range of germplasm. During the seminar we will discuss strategies to reduce the threshold for gene cloning in polyploid wheat and the approaches and tools used for functional characterization of these genes. Overall, our work with emmer argues for the importance of using wild species to discover and recover valuable alleles for modern agriculture. This will become increasingly important as we face new challenges to secure a sustainable food supply in a changing environment.
Download a pdf of the poster.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Development of Algal Products and Processes
Opportunities and challenges in high value applications, bioremediation and bioenergy
Thursday 15th Oct 2009
Zicer Conference and Exhibition Room, University of East Anglia, Norwich
This meeting is jointly organised by Renewables East, the renewable energy agency for the East of England, and the InCrops Enterprise Hub, a new initiative to promote low carbon solutions based on plant materials from non-food crops.
This event will highlight opportunities and challenges for the use of algae in high value applications, bioremediation and bioenergy, with a special emphasis on current and upcoming funding opportunities. It will bring together industry and academia from renewables sectors to accelerate innovation and technology transfer.
Speakers include:
Registration opens at 09.30 am; presentations start at 10.30 am. A Guided Tour of Algal Labs will be available during the lunch break for delegates who register in advance. The presentations finish at 4.00 pm, followed by networking, and the event closes at 5.00 pm.
A registration fee applies to this event: £50. A discounted fee is available for academic and not-for-profit organisations (£30). Please email alysonbooth@renewableseast.org.uk to access the discount.
To register please visit http://renewableseast.eventhq.co.uk/algae.
If you have any questions, please contact either Bianca Forte (biancaforte@renewableseast.org.uk; 07939 053 025) or Beatrix Schlarb-Ridley (b.schlarb-ridley@uea.ac.uk; 07778 983 612).
Download the flier.
Thursday 15th Oct 2009
Zicer Conference and Exhibition Room, University of East Anglia, Norwich
This meeting is jointly organised by Renewables East, the renewable energy agency for the East of England, and the InCrops Enterprise Hub, a new initiative to promote low carbon solutions based on plant materials from non-food crops.
This event will highlight opportunities and challenges for the use of algae in high value applications, bioremediation and bioenergy, with a special emphasis on current and upcoming funding opportunities. It will bring together industry and academia from renewables sectors to accelerate innovation and technology transfer.
Speakers include:
- Dr Gill Malin, University of East Anglia
Algal processes and products: advantages and challenges - Prof Richard Geider, University of Essex
Biological constraints on algal production - Dr Thomas Mock, University of East Anglia
Genomic screening and genetic engineering of diatoms for different biotechnological applications - Prof Graham Hillier, Centre for Process Innovation
The role of algae in planning sustainable cities - Dr Vitor Vieira, Necton / Algafuel
Production of algae for high value purposes - lessons for bioenergy production
Prof Alison Smith, University of Cambridge
Vitamins, pigments and energy from algae
Registration opens at 09.30 am; presentations start at 10.30 am. A Guided Tour of Algal Labs will be available during the lunch break for delegates who register in advance. The presentations finish at 4.00 pm, followed by networking, and the event closes at 5.00 pm.
A registration fee applies to this event: £50. A discounted fee is available for academic and not-for-profit organisations (£30). Please email alysonbooth@renewableseast.org.uk to access the discount.
To register please visit http://renewableseast.eventhq.co.uk/algae.
If you have any questions, please contact either Bianca Forte (biancaforte@renewableseast.org.uk; 07939 053 025) or Beatrix Schlarb-Ridley (b.schlarb-ridley@uea.ac.uk; 07778 983 612).
Download the flier.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Fibre Crops open day 4 September 2009
This Open Day with talks will focus on the growing and processing of fibre crops in the East of England. Delegates will also visit the experimental trials being conducted by InCrops at Easton College, Norwich.
Businesses interested in developing further products and technologies from these crops will have a unique chance to network and explore future opportunities. The event will be of interest to delegates in a range of sectors from growing, production and manufacturing through to retail, distribution and marketing.
Speakers:
Download more information as a pdf.
Businesses interested in developing further products and technologies from these crops will have a unique chance to network and explore future opportunities. The event will be of interest to delegates in a range of sectors from growing, production and manufacturing through to retail, distribution and marketing.
Speakers:
Michael Carus, European Industrial Hemp Association
Natural Fibres Reinforced Plastics for bio-based products: Markets and Trends
Dr Mike Lawrence, BRE Centre for Innovative Construction Materials
Developing hemp-lime low-carbon construction for mainstream uptake
Download more information as a pdf.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Bioplastics & Biopolymers Seminar: 16 July
Thursday 16th July 2009
3.00pm - 6.30pm
Hughes Hall College, Pavilion Room, Cambridge CB1 2EW
THIS IS A FREE EVENT & PLACES ARE LIMITED
To register, please contact Dr Beatrix Schlarb Ridley, InCrops Business Innovation Manager on b.schlarb-ridley@uea.ac.uk or telephone 01223 333 956 / 07778983612
FOR A FULL PROGRAMME AND FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS AND OTHER INCROPS EVENTS PLEASE VISIT www.incropsproject.co.uk.
Download the poster.
3.00pm - 6.30pm
Hughes Hall College, Pavilion Room, Cambridge CB1 2EW
THIS IS A FREE EVENT & PLACES ARE LIMITED
To register, please contact Dr Beatrix Schlarb Ridley, InCrops Business Innovation Manager on b.schlarb-ridley@uea.ac.uk or telephone 01223 333 956 / 07778983612
FOR A FULL PROGRAMME AND FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS AND OTHER INCROPS EVENTS PLEASE VISIT www.incropsproject.co.uk.
Download the poster.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Biofuels East Launch Event
Fostering collaboration between academia and industry
Queens' College, Cambridge, 24 March 2009
An opportunity to examine the performance and sustainability of biofuels, learn about the advanced technologies being developed in the East of England and find out how to access funding for collaborative projects.
This event is aimed at academic and industrial researchers working on the development of biofuels as well as those whose activities are impacted by developments in this field. We have an amazing selection of experts such as Aaron Berry, Head of Carbon and Sustainability at the Renewable Fuels Agency, and Professor Chris Howe, Plant Biochemist at the University of Cambridge.
The following topics will be covered:
* The sustainability of biofuels and the rationale for advanced generation technologies
* Biodiesel, bio-alcohols, biomethane and jet fuels: developments and challenges faced by the industry
* Cutting edge research in land crops, algae feedstocks, lignocellulosic fuels and waste derived fuels
* Collaborative projects between academia and industry: challenges, case studies and ways forward
* Funding opportunities for collaborative projects between academia and industry
Download:
Information about Biofuels: Advanced Virtual Biofuels Hub for the East of England
Biofuels East Launch Event flier
Registration form
Queens' College, Cambridge, 24 March 2009
An opportunity to examine the performance and sustainability of biofuels, learn about the advanced technologies being developed in the East of England and find out how to access funding for collaborative projects.
This event is aimed at academic and industrial researchers working on the development of biofuels as well as those whose activities are impacted by developments in this field. We have an amazing selection of experts such as Aaron Berry, Head of Carbon and Sustainability at the Renewable Fuels Agency, and Professor Chris Howe, Plant Biochemist at the University of Cambridge.
The following topics will be covered:
* The sustainability of biofuels and the rationale for advanced generation technologies
* Biodiesel, bio-alcohols, biomethane and jet fuels: developments and challenges faced by the industry
* Cutting edge research in land crops, algae feedstocks, lignocellulosic fuels and waste derived fuels
* Collaborative projects between academia and industry: challenges, case studies and ways forward
* Funding opportunities for collaborative projects between academia and industry
Download:
Information about Biofuels: Advanced Virtual Biofuels Hub for the East of England
Biofuels East Launch Event flier
Registration form
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