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Plant Disease Expert Honoured by Her Peers
New Annual Award Will Reward Top Fungi Researchers
Rothamsted’s Dr Kim Hammond-Kosack has been awarded the inaugural Tony Trinci Award by The Microbiology Society, together with the British Mycological Society.
The new award will be presented annually to celebrate excellence in mycology.
Dr Hammond-Kosack is a molecular plant pathologist with more than 30 years’ experience in molecular plant pathology and molecular genetics, investigating fungal and viral pathogens of wheat, barley, tomato, potato, oilseed rape and Arabidopsis.
She said: “I am very honoured to receive this inaugural award. Throughout my research career, I have been fascinated by fungi. Fungi are refreshingly flexible, possessing so many host invasion strategies, dispersal mechanisms and slick approaches to the successful occupancy of different environmental niches.”
Since the late 1990s, Dr Hammond-Kosack has focussed mainly on the genus Fusarium, many species of which pose a serious threat to the global supply of safe cereal grain.
A species from this group, F. venenatum, also forms the basis of the popular meat-substitute brand Quorn – which Professor Trinci helped pioneer.
President of the British Mycological Society, Professor Janet Quinn said: “Professor Tony Trinci was a past President of both the British Mycological Society and the Microbiology Society, so it is very fitting that our Societies have together created the Tony Trinci Award in recognition and celebration of his enormous contribution to mycological research.”
“Tony's meticulous investigations of the growth kinetics and physiology of filamentous fungi provided the framework for understanding fungal multicellular growth, which was also applied commercially to optimize the production of the mycoprotein, Quorn.”
“Dr Hammond-Kosack’s ground-breaking work on plant fungal pathogens, as well as the emerging connections between her work and that of Tony Trinci on Fusarium, make her highly deserving of this inaugural Award.”
Dr Hammond-Kosack will give her Award presentation, ‘Comparing genomes and gene functions between closely related Fusarium species that occupy different environmental niches’ at the British Mycological Society Annual Conference, on 6 April 2022.
ABOUT ROTHAMSTED RESEARCH
Rothamsted Research is the longest-running agricultural research institute in the world. We work from gene to field with a proud history of ground-breaking
discoveries in areas as diverse as crop management, statistical interpretation and soil health. Our founders, in 1843, were the pioneers of modern
agriculture, and we are known for our imaginative science and our collaborative approach to developing innovative farm practice.
Through independent research, we make significant contributions to improving agri-food systems in the UK and internationally, with
economic impact estimated to exceed £3 bn in annual contribution to the UK economy. Our strength lies in our systems approach, which combines strategic research,
interdisciplinary teams and multiple partnerships.
Rothamsted is home to three unique National Bioscience Research Infrastructures which are open to researchers from all over the world:
The Long-Term Experiments,
Rothamsted Insect Survey and the
North Wyke Farm Platform.
We are strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), with additional support from other national and
international funding streams, and from industry. We are also supported by the Lawes Agricultural Trust (LAT).
ABOUT BBSRC
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid
from the UK government.
BBSRC invests to push back the frontiers of biology and deliver a healthy, prosperous and sustainable future. Through our investments, we build and support a vibrant,
dynamic and inclusive community which delivers ground-breaking discoveries and develops bio-based solutions that contribute to tackling global challenges,
such as sustainable food production, climate change, and healthy ageing.
As part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), we not only play a pivotal role in fostering connections that enable the UK’s world-class research and innovation system
to flourish – we also have a responsibility to enable the creation of a research culture that is diverse, resilient, and engaged.
BBSRC proudly forges interdisciplinary collaborations where excellent bioscience has a fundamental role. We pioneer approaches that enhance the equality, diversity,
and inclusion of talent by investing in people, infrastructure, technologies, and partnerships on a global scale.
ABOUT LAT
The Lawes Agricultural Trust, established in 1889 by Sir John Bennet Lawes, supports Rothamsted Research’s national and international agricultural science through the provision of land, facilities and funding. LAT, a charitable trust, owns the estates at Harpenden and Broom's Barn, including many of the buildings used by Rothamsted Research. LAT provides an annual research grant to the Director, accommodation for nearly 200 people, and support for fellowships for young scientists from developing countries. LAT also makes capital grants to help modernise facilities at Rothamsted, or invests in new buildings.