Sergio Cerezo-Medina

Sergio is a crop biotechnologist who is focused on the application of plant tissue culture and genetic engineering to functional studies in woody plant species. Current species of interest include willow (Salix spp.) and poplar (Populus spp.), for their importance as dedicated short-rotation coppice energy crops. He joined Rothamsted Research in 2016, to a joint project between the genomic and plant transformation laboratories. He is contributing to a well-established genetic improvement programme, focused on the development of technologies to enable functional analysis of candidate genes in willow and poplar. This includes genes involved in secondary metabolism traits that influence biomass yield. To study biological function of these candidate genes, his project aims to overcome barriers to genetic transformation in willow and to apply transformation technologies in poplar, with the aim of underpinning breeding and research programmes. His key areas of expertise include tissue culture methods and protocols to regenerate and transform woody plants species. During his PhD, Sergio acquired experience in a wide range of in-vitro culture techniques: induction and maintenance of embryogenic cultures; shoot organogenesis; agrobacterium and biolistic mediated genetic transformation or maintenance; and micro-propagation of transformed plants. Sergio’s further expertise includes molecular biology techniques to characterise transgenic plants.