Professor Julie Gray
School of Biosciences
Professor of Plant Cell Signalling
+44 114 222 4407
Full contact details
School of Biosciences
Firth Court
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
- Profile
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Career history
- 2008 - present: Professor, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield
- 1993 - 2007: Lecturer/ Senior Lecturer/Reader Dept. of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield
- 1990 - 1993: University Research Fellow, University of Nottingham
- 1989 – 1990: Research Fellow, University of Melbourne
- 1985 - 1989: PhD, University of Nottingham
- Research interests
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Stomata are pores that open to allow carbon dioxide into leaves for photosynthesis and close to reduce water loss. Stomata are important because their behaviour affects crop productivity, and global carbon and water cycles.
We study how stomatal aperture and stomatal development are controlled by the plant, and how environmental change affects both the number of stomata that are produced and their sensitivity.
We use molecular genetic techniques to study the evolution of stomatal signalling pathways which are believed to have been important for the greening of the earth over 400 million years ago.
Recently we have begun to translate our finding into important crops including wheat and rice, to improve drought tolerance and water use efficiency.
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- The Cys-Arg/N-End Rule Pathway Is a General Sensor of Abiotic Stress in Flowering Plants. Current Biology, 27(20), 3183-3190.e4. View this article in WRRO
- Stomatal Opening Involves Polar, Not Radial, Stiffening Of Guard Cells. Current Biology, 27(19), 2974-2983.e2. View this article in WRRO
- Formation of the Stomatal Outer Cuticular Ledge Requires a Guard Cell Wall Proline-Rich Protein. Plant Physiology, 174(2), 689-699. View this article in WRRO
- Reducing stomatal density in barley improves drought tolerance without impacting on yield.. Plant Physiology, 174(2), 776-787. View this article in WRRO
- Origin and function of stomata in the moss Physcomitrella patens.. Nature Plants, 2. View this article in WRRO
- Stomatal Function Requires Pectin De-methyl-esterification of the Guard Cell Wall. Current Biology, 26(21), 2899-2906. View this article in WRRO
- An ancestral stomatal patterning module revealed in the non-vascular land plant Physcomitrella patens.. Development, 143, 3306-3314. View this article in WRRO
- Elevated CO2-Induced Responses in Stomata Require ABA and ABA Signaling. Current Biology, 25(20), 2709-2716. View this article in WRRO
- Manipulating stomatal density enhances drought tolerance without deleterious effect on nutrient uptake. New Phytologist, 208(2), 336-341. View this article in WRRO
- Increasing water-use efficiency directly through genetic manipulation of stomatal density. New Phytologist, 207(1), 188-195. View this article in WRRO
- Nitric Oxide Sensing in Plants Is Mediated by Proteolytic Control of Group VII ERF Transcription Factors. Molecular Cell, 53(3), 369-379.
- Genetic manipulation of stomatal density influences stomatal size, plant growth and tolerance to restricted water supply across a growth carbon dioxide gradient.. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 367(1588), 547-555. View this article in WRRO
- Land plants acquired active stomatal control early in their evolutionary history.. Curr Biol, 21(12), 1030-1035.
- Regulatory mechanism controlling stomatal behavior conserved across 400 million years of land plant evolution.. Curr Biol, 21(12), 1025-1029.
- The signalling peptide EPFL9 is a positive regulator of stomatal development.. New Phytol, 186(3), 609-614.
- The signaling peptide EPF2 controls asymmetric cell divisions during stomatal development.. Curr Biol, 19(10), 864-869.
- phytochrome B and PIF4 Regulate Stomatal Development in Response to Light Quantity. CURR BIOL, 19(3), 229-234.
- Influence of environmental factors on stomatal development. NEW PHYTOL, 178(1), 9-23.
- Systemic signalling of environmental cues in Arabidopsis leaves.. J Exp Bot, 57(2), 329-341.
- Molecular biology of fruit ripening and its manipulation with antisense genes.. Plant Mol Biol, 19(1), 69-87.
- Action of the Style Product of the Self-Incompatibility Gene of Nicotiana alata (S-RNase) on in Vitro-Grown Pollen Tubes.. Plant Cell, 3(3), 271-283.
- Self-incompatibility: a self-recognition system in plants.. Science, 250(4983), 937-941.
- SELF-INCOMPATIBILITY IN NICOTIANA-ALATA INVOLVES DEGRADATION OF POLLEN RIBOSOMAL-RNA. NATURE, 347(6295), 757-760.
- Inheritance and effect on ripening of antisense polygalacturonase genes in transgenic tomatoes.. Plant Mol Biol, 14(3), 369-379.
All publications
Journal articles
- Altering arabinans increases Arabidopsis guard cell flexibility and stomatal opening. Current Biology.
- Grasses exploit geometry to achieve improved guard cell dynamics. Current Biology.
- Candidate genes affecting stomatal density in rice (Oryza sativa L.) identified by genome‐wide association. Plant Science, 111624-111624.
- Two awn-development-related peptides, GAD1 and OsEPFL2, promote seed dispersal and germination in rice. Molecular Plant.
- The origin and evolution of stomata. Current Biology, 32(11), r539-r553.
- Altering arabinans increases Arabidopsis guard cell flexibility and stomatal opening. Current Biology.
- Induced genetic variations in stomatal density and size of rice strongly affects water use efficiency and responses to drought stresses. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13.
- Stomatal responses to carbon dioxide and light require abscisic acid catabolism in Arabidopsis. Interface Focus, 11(2). View this article in WRRO
- Leaf temperature responses to ABA and dead bacteria in wheat and Arabidopsis.. Plant Signal Behav, 1899471.
- How the stomate got his pore : very long chain fatty acids and a structural cell wall protein sculpt the guard cell outer cuticular ledge. New Phytologist.
- Stomata and sporophytes of the model moss physcomitrium patens. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11. View this article in WRRO
- Pores for thought : can genetic manipulation of stomatal density protect future rice yields?. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10. View this article in WRRO
- CrRLK1L receptor-like kinases HERK 1 and ANJEA are female determinants of pollen tube reception. EMBO Reports, 21(2). View this article in WRRO
- The influence of stomatal morphology and distribution on photosynthetic gas exchange. The Plant Journal, 101(4), 768-779.
- Author Correction: Rice plants overexpressing OsEPF1 show reduced stomatal density and increased root cortical aerenchyma formation. Scientific Reports, 9(1).
- Mesophyll porosity is modulated by the presence of functional stomata. Nature Communications, 10(1). View this article in WRRO
- Reduced stomatal density in bread wheat leads to increased water-use efficiency. Journal of Experimental Botany, 70(18), 4737-4748.
- Bacterial infection systemically suppresses stomatal density. Plant Cell & Environment. View this article in WRRO
- Rice plants overexpressing OsEPF1 show reduced stomatal density and increased root cortical aerenchyma formation.. Scientific Reports, 9. View this article in WRRO
- Impact of Stomatal Density and Morphology on Water-Use Efficiency in a Changing World. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10. View this article in WRRO
- Distinct branches of the N-end rule pathway modulate the plant immune response. New Phytologist, 221(2), 988-1000. View this article in WRRO
- Rice with reduced stomatal density conserves water and has improved drought tolerance under future climate conditions. New Phytologist, 22(1), 371-384. View this article in WRRO
- Models and Mechanisms of Stomatal Mechanics. Trends in Plant Science, 23(9), 822-832. View this article in WRRO
- The BIG protein distinguishes the process of CO2-induced stomatal closure from the inhibition of stomatal opening by CO2. New Phytologist, 218(1), 232-241. View this article in WRRO
- Stomatal development: focusing on the grasses. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 41, 1-7. View this article in WRRO
- Molecular control of stomatal development. Biochemical Journal, 475(2), 441-454. View this article in WRRO
- The Cys-Arg/N-End Rule Pathway Is a General Sensor of Abiotic Stress in Flowering Plants. Current Biology, 27(20), 3183-3190.e4. View this article in WRRO
- Rice SUMO protease Overly Tolerant to Salt 1 targets the transcription factor, OsbZIP23 to promote drought tolerance in rice.. Plant Journal. View this article in WRRO
- Stomatal Opening Involves Polar, Not Radial, Stiffening Of Guard Cells. Current Biology, 27(19), 2974-2983.e2. View this article in WRRO
- Formation of the Stomatal Outer Cuticular Ledge Requires a Guard Cell Wall Proline-Rich Protein. Plant Physiology, 174(2), 689-699. View this article in WRRO
- Origins and evolution of stomatal development. Plant physiology, 147(2). View this article in WRRO
- CRISPR-Cas9 and CRISPR-Cpf1 mediated targeting of a stomatal developmental gene EPFL9 in rice. Plant Cell Reports, 36(5), 745-757. View this article in WRRO
- Reducing stomatal density in barley improves drought tolerance without impacting on yield.. Plant Physiology, 174(2), 776-787. View this article in WRRO
- Origin and function of stomata in the moss Physcomitrella patens.. Nature Plants, 2. View this article in WRRO
- Stomatal Function Requires Pectin De-methyl-esterification of the Guard Cell Wall. Current Biology, 26(21), 2899-2906. View this article in WRRO
- Conserved roles of CrRLK1L receptor-like kinases in cell expansion and reproduction from algae to angiosperms. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7(AUG2016). View this article in WRRO
- An ancestral stomatal patterning module revealed in the non-vascular land plant Physcomitrella patens.. Development, 143, 3306-3314. View this article in WRRO
- Balancing Water Uptake and Loss through the Coordinated Regulation of Stomatal and Root Development. PLOS ONE, 11(6), e0156930-e0156930. View this article in WRRO
- Elevated CO2-Induced Responses in Stomata Require ABA and ABA Signaling. Current Biology, 25(20), 2709-2716. View this article in WRRO
- Manipulating stomatal density enhances drought tolerance without deleterious effect on nutrient uptake. New Phytologist, 208(2), 336-341. View this article in WRRO
- Increasing water-use efficiency directly through genetic manipulation of stomatal density. New Phytologist, 207(1), 188-195. View this article in WRRO
- Stomatal Closure: The Old Guard Takes Up the SLAC. Current Biology, 25(7), R271-R273. View this article in WRRO
- Putting the brakes on: abscisic acid as a central environmental regulator of stomatal development.. New Phytol, 202(2), 376-391.
- Nitric Oxide Sensing in Plants Is Mediated by Proteolytic Control of Group VII ERF Transcription Factors. Molecular Cell, 53(3), 369-379.
- Light-induced stomatal opening is affected by the guard cell protein kinase APK1b.. PLoS One, 9(5), e97161. View this article in WRRO
- Corrigendum to "Early evolutionary acquisition of stomatal control and development gene signalling networks" [Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 16 (5) (2013) 638-646]. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 18(1), 117-118.
- Early evolutionary acquisition of stomatal control and development gene signalling networks.. Curr Opin Plant Biol, 16(5), 638-646.
- Genome-wide transcriptomic analysis of the sporophyte of the moss Physcomitrella patens.. J Exp Bot, 64(12), 3567-3581. View this article in WRRO
- Genetic manipulation of stomatal density influences stomatal size, plant growth and tolerance to restricted water supply across a growth carbon dioxide gradient.. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 367(1588), 547-555. View this article in WRRO
- Expression and manipulation of PHOSPHOENOLPYRUVATE CARBOXYKINASE 1 identifies a role for malate metabolism in stomatal closure. Plant Journal, 69(4), 679-688.
- Land plants acquired active stomatal control early in their evolutionary history.. Curr Biol, 21(12), 1030-1035.
- Regulatory mechanism controlling stomatal behavior conserved across 400 million years of land plant evolution.. Curr Biol, 21(12), 1025-1029.
- BASL and EPF2 act independently to regulate asymmetric divisions during stomatal development.. Plant Signal Behav, 5(3), 278-280.
- The signalling peptide EPFL9 is a positive regulator of stomatal development.. New Phytol, 186(3), 609-614.
- BASL and EPF2 act independently to regulate asymmetric divisions during stomatal development. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR, 5(3), 278-280.
- REGULATION OF CHRYSOLAMINARAN METABOLISM IN THE MARINE DIATOM THALASSIOSIRA PSEUDONANA. PHYCOLOGIA, 48(4), 36-37.
- The signaling peptide EPF2 controls asymmetric cell divisions during stomatal development.. Curr Biol, 19(10), 864-869.
- phytochrome B and PIF4 Regulate Stomatal Development in Response to Light Quantity. CURR BIOL, 19(3), 229-234.
- The relationship between pyridine nucleotides and seed dormancy.. New Phytol, 181(1), 62-70.
- Involvement of sphingosine kinase in plant cell signalling. PLANT J, 56(1), 64-72.
- Influence of environmental factors on stomatal development. NEW PHYTOL, 178(1), 9-23.
- Intercellular peptide signals regulate plant meristematic cell fate decisions.. Sci Signal, 1(49), pe53.
- Nicotinamidase activity is important for germination.. Plant J, 51(3), 341-351.
- Coordinate regulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase by light and CO2 during C4 photosynthesis.. Plant Physiol, 144(1), 479-486.
- Plant development: three steps for stomata.. Curr Biol, 17(6), R213-R215.
- Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in Arabidopsis: changes in gene expression, protein and activity during vegetative and reproductive development.. Plant Cell Physiol, 48(3), 441-450.
- A diversity of scales.. New Phytol, 173(4), 670-673.
- Differential adaptation of two varieties of common bean to abiotic stress: II. Acclimation of photosynthesis.. J Exp Bot, 57(3), 699-709.
- Systemic signalling of environmental cues in Arabidopsis leaves.. J Exp Bot, 57(2), 329-341.
- Guard cells: transcription factors regulate stomatal movements.. Curr Biol, 15(15), R593-R595.
- Systemic signalling, acclimation and impacts on leaf phenotype. COMP BIOCHEM PHYS A, 141(3), S298-S298.
- Plant immunophilins: functional versatility beyond protein maturation.. New Phytol, 166(3), 753-769.
- Plant development: YODA the stomatal switch.. Curr Biol, 14(12), R488-R490.
- Gene-specific expression and calcium activation of Arabidopsis thaliana phospholipase C isoforms. NEW PHYTOL, 162(3), 643-654.
- The Arabidopsis cyclophilin gene family.. Plant Physiol, 134(4), 1268-1282.
- Arabidopsis AtCYP20-2 is a light-regulated cyclophilin-type peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase associated with the photosynthetic membranes.. Plant Physiol, 134(4), 1244-1247.
- The effects of manipulating phospholipase C on guard cell ABA-signalling. J EXP BOT, 55(395), 199-204.
- Phospholipase C is required for the control of stomatal aperture by ABA.. Plant J, 34(1), 47-55.
- Signals from the cuticle affect epidermal cell differentiation. NEW PHYTOL, 157(1), 9-23.
- A role for nuclear localised proteasomes in mediating auxin action.. Plant J, 30(6), 691-698.
- A role for the cuticular waxes in the environmental control of stomatal development. NEW PHYTOL, 153(3), 433-439.
- ABA signalling: a messenger's FIERY fate.. Curr Biol, 11(23), R968-R970.
- Ripening-related occurrence of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in tomato fruit.. Plant Mol Biol, 47(4), 499-506.
- Calcium-based signalling systems in guard cells. NEW PHYTOL, 151(1), 109-120.
- The HIC signalling pathway links CO2 perception to stomatal development.. Nature, 408(6813), 713-716.
- Ca2+ signalling in stomatal guard cells. Biochemical Society Transactions, 28(4), 476-481.
- Abscisic acid induces oscillations in guard-cell cytosolic free calcium that involve phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C. P NATL ACAD SCI USA, 96(4), 1779-1784.
- Expression of a proteasome alpha-type subunit gene during tobacco development and senescence.. Plant Mol Biol, 39(2), 325-333.
- Conservation of proteasome structure and activity between plants and other eukaryotes.. Biochem Soc Trans, 26(4), S395.
- Phosphoinositide signal transduction in guard cells.. Biochem Soc Trans, 26(4), S397.
- The control of specificity in guard cell signal transduction. PHILOS T ROY SOC B, 353(1374), 1489-1494.
- Molecular and enzymatic characterization of three phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C isoforms from potato. PLANT PHYSIOL, 116(1), 239-250.
- Pollination-enhanced expression of a receptor-like protein kinase related gene in tobacco styles.. Plant Mol Biol, 33(4), 653-665.
- A ROLE FOR GLUTAMATE-DECARBOXYLASE DURING TOMATO RIPENING - THE CHARACTERIZATION OF A CDNA-ENCODING A PUTATIVE GLUTAMATE-DECARBOXYLASE WITH A CALMODULIN-BINDING SITE. PLANT MOL BIOL, 27(6), 1143-1151.
- THE USE OF TRANSGENIC AND NATURALLY-OCCURRING MUTANTS TO UNDERSTAND AND MANIPULATE TOMATO FRUIT RIPENING. PLANT CELL ENVIRON, 17(5), 557-571.
- Sequence of a cloned tomato ubiquitin conjugating enzyme.. Plant Physiol, 103(4), 1471-1472.
- A histidine decarboxylase-like mRNA is involved in tomato fruit ripening.. Plant Mol Biol, 23(3), 627-631.
- cDNA cloning and characterisation of novel ripening-related mRNAs with altered patterns of accumulation in the ripening inhibitor (rin) tomato ripening mutant.. Plant Mol Biol, 23(1), 193-207.
- Molecular biology of fruit ripening and its manipulation with antisense genes.. Plant Mol Biol, 19(1), 69-87.
- SELF-INCOMPATIBILITY - INSIGHTS THROUGH MICROSCOPY. J MICROSC-OXFORD, 166, 137-148.
- Action of the Style Product of the Self-Incompatibility Gene of Nicotiana alata (S-RNase) on in Vitro-Grown Pollen Tubes.. Plant Cell, 3(3), 271-283.
- Action of the Style Product of the Self-Incompatibility Gene of Nicotiana alata (S-RNase) on in Vitro-Grown Pollen Tubes. The Plant Cell, 3(3), 271-271.
- Self-incompatibility: a self-recognition system in plants.. Science, 250(4983), 937-941.
- SELF-INCOMPATIBILITY IN NICOTIANA-ALATA INVOLVES DEGRADATION OF POLLEN RIBOSOMAL-RNA. NATURE, 347(6295), 757-760.
- Homologies to the tomato endopolygalacturonase gene in the peach genome. Plant, Cell and Environment, 13(6), 513-521.
- Inheritance and effect on ripening of antisense polygalacturonase genes in transgenic tomatoes.. Plant Mol Biol, 14(3), 369-379.
- CONTROL AND MANIPULATION OF GENE-EXPRESSION DURING TOMATO FRUIT RIPENING. PLANT MOL BIOL, 13(3), 303-311.
- Organization and expression of polygalacturonase and other ripening related genes in Ailsa Craig ?Neverripe? and ?Ripening inhibitor? tomato mutants. Plant Molecular Biology, 12(1), 105-116.
- Identification and sequence determination of a cDNA clone for tomato pectin esterase. European Journal of Biochemistry, 174(1), 119-124.
- ETHYLENE STIMULATES THE ACCUMULATION OF RIPENING-RELATED MESSENGER-RNAS IN TOMATOES. PLANT CELL ENVIRON, 10(2), 177-184.
- Ethylene stimulates the accumulation of ripening-related mRNAs in tomatoes. Plant, Cell and Environment, 10(2), 177-184.
- GENE-EXPRESSION DURING TOMATO RIPENING. PHILOS T ROY SOC B, 314(1166), 399-&.
- Optimizing Crop Plant Stomatal Density to Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, a041672-a041672.
- SIAMESE-RELATED1 imposes differentiation of stomatal lineage ground cells into pavement cells. Nature Plants.
- The influences of stomatal size and density on rice abiotic stress resilience. New Phytologist.
- Small EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR-LIKE2 peptides regulate awn development in rice. Plant Physiology.
- Rice Stomatal Mega-Papillae Restrict Water Loss and Pathogen Entry. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12.
- Dynamic thermal imaging confirms local but not fast systemic ABA responses. Plant, Cell & Environment.
Chapters
- Peptides Modulating Development of Specialized Cells, Signaling and Communication in Plants (pp. 93-106). Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Ethylene Genes and Fruit Ripening, Plant Hormones (pp. 372-394). Springer Netherlands
- The manipulation and modification of tomato fruit ripening by expression of antisense RNA in transgenic plants, Developments in Plant Breeding (pp. 193-202). Springer Netherlands
- The Molecular Biology of Fruit Ripening, Plant Molecular Biology (pp. 287-299). Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Altered Gene Expression, Leaf Senescence, and Fruit Ripening by Inhibiting Ethylene Synthesis with EFE-Antisense Genes, Cellular and Molecular Aspects of the Plant Hormone Ethylene (pp. 82-89). Springer Netherlands
- Molecular biology of fruit ripening and its manipulation with antisense genes, 10 Years Plant Molecular Biology (pp. 69-87). Springer Netherlands
- REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION IN TRANSGENIC TOMATO PLANTS BY ANTISENSE RNA AND RIPENING-SPECIFIC PROMOTERS, Genetic Engineering of Crop Plants (pp. 115-125). Elsevier
- MANIPULATING FRUIT RIPENING PHYSIOLOGY, Manipulation of Fruiting (pp. 387-398). Elsevier
- Signals for Gene Expression in Ripening Tomato Fruit, Cell Separation in Plants (pp. 1-9). Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Plant Peptide Signals (pp. 1-8). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Conference proceedings papers
- Reduced stomatal density in wheat and its potential for improving control of foliar pathogens. PHYTOPATHOLOGY, Vol. 108(10) (pp 170-170)
- Phytochrome B and PIF4 regulate stomatal development in response to light quantity. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, Vol. 153A(2) (pp S209-S209)
- The role of sphingosine kinase in plant cell signalling. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, Vol. 150(3) (pp S195-S195)
- Control of stomatal development. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, Vol. 150(3) (pp S144-S144)
- Analysis of the R2R3-MYB transcription factor family identifies genes involved in stomatal function. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, Vol. 150(3) (pp S195-S195)
- Ca2+ signalling in stomatal guard cells. BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS, Vol. 28 (pp 476-481)
- THE MANIPULATION AND MODIFICATION OF TOMATO FRUIT RIPENING BY EXPRESSION OF ANTISENSE RNA IN TRANSGENIC PLANTS. EUPHYTICA, Vol. 85(1-3) (pp 193-202)
- Self-Incompatibility as a Model for Cell-Cell Recognition in Flowering Plants (pp 527-536)
- REGULATION OF GENE-EXPRESSION IN TRANSGENIC TOMATO PLANTS BY ANTISENSE RNA AND RIPENING-SPECIFIC PROMOTERS. GENETIC ENGINEERING OF CROP PLANTS (pp 115-125)
Preprints
- Teaching activities
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Level 4 modules
- MBB401 Introduction to Research Methodology (Module Coordinator)
- MBB405 Advanced Research Topics
Level 3 modules
- MBB304 Plant Biotechnology
- MBB343 Biochemical Signalling (Module Coordinator)
Level 1 modules
- MBB161 Biochemistry