On Saturday 12 May, three Portuguese-speaking members of our team took part in the Native Explorers science education and outreach activity, co-organized by Lancaster University and the Native Scientist project.

Cristina, Catarina and Elizabete were so fortunate to take this opportunity to talk to Portuguese teenagers living in the Manchester area about photosynthesis research going on at LEC. Seeing the excitement of young people when realising how important plants are was priceless!

Recruitment for 2 postdoctoral positions in the group has opened!

These positions are an exciting opportunity to join our growing team and work on the multinational RIPE project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), and the UK Department of International Development (DFID) .

We’re looking for a Biochemist and a Bioinformatician, and further details can be found at these links:

Plant Biochemist

Bioinformatician

We are pleased to be hosting the Plastid Preview 2018 at Lancaster University on 3rd-4th September.

This is a FREE conference for early career researchers (PhD students and early career postdocs) working in chloroplast biology, fundamental and applied.

All the details are available on the dedicated site HERE.

Well done to PhD student Gustaf Degen who has just attended the Rank Prize Funds Mini-Symposium on “The Shape of Wheat to Come”.

Gustaf earned the prize for Best PhD student presentation for his work on Rubisco Activase, great job!

The photosynthesis team at Lancaster is researching how to improve carbon assimilation to increase crop yields, while minimising the use of resources. It started with the relocation of Martin Parry and Elizabete Carmo-Silva from Rothamsted Research in September 2015 (see the story here). In 2016 Steve Long, FRS, joined LEC on a joint appointment with his position at the University of Illinois (story here).

Our research is funded by the BBSRC, the International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP), and a sub-contract to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation award to the University of Illinois (RIPE). We focus on understanding natural variation across diverse plant genotypes in photosynthetic efficiency and regulation in response to the environment. We use this knowledge to improve carbon assimilation in crops through interaction with breeders and agronomists. We use biotechnological tools to improve specific photosynthetic processes and test the impact on overall plant performance.

Our team is part of a wider group, the Plant and Crop Science research group, consisting of ten academic staff and involving interactions with staff from across the other research groups. Research at LEC focuses on strategic applications and provides a link to policy and business. In addition, through its Enterprise and Business Partnerships (EBP), LEC undertakes a wide range of projects in partnership with business and industry.