The groundbreaking research will reveal how the diverse microscopic networks beneath our feet are crucial in boosting crop resilience, enhancing nutrient absorption, and acting as powerful carbon sinks. It is hoped the findings will unlock nature-based solutions to reshape agricultural practices to tackle important global challenges.
The ten-year Royal Society Faraday Fellowship, awarded to Professor Katie Field from the University’s School of Biosciences, will investigate previously overlooked fungal diversity to reveal its crucial role in nutrient exchange between plants and mycorrhizal fungi (a type of soil fungi found nearly wherever there are plants), how they lock carbon into the soil, and the resilience of these crucial networks.
Researchers will also explore the wider effects of diverse fungi on carbon, plant health and ecosystems, ultimately turning the new discoveries into practical strategies for sustainable agriculture and climate mitigation.
Professor Katie Field, from the School of Biosciences, said: “The freedom to pursue fundamental research of this scale, with the potential for real-world impact on agriculture, ecosystems, and climate, is truly exciting.
“This investment reflects growing recognition of the vital but overlooked roles fungi play in the health of our planet. It’s an incredible privilege and honour to receive this Fellowship and I’m enormously grateful to be given the opportunity to lead such a bold, long-term project.”
This new research will build upon Professor Field’s work into mycorrhizal symbioses – the mutually beneficial partnerships between plants and soil fungi that are fundamental to life on Earth. Historically, research has largely centered on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, long believed to be the most widespread and essential fungal symbionts of plants. Professor Field’s research has revealed plants form partnerships with a much wider range of fungi than previously understood. This includes the discovery that plants, even major crops and species once considered non-mycorrhizal, also form associations with Mucoromycotina ‘fine root endophytes’ (MFRE). Unlike AM fungi, MFRE can use carbon outside the plant and still form mutually beneficial relationships with their hosts.
The research team, which includes partners Dr Silvia Pressel from The Natural History Museum and Lancaster University, will now have the opportunity to focus on MFRE – from uncovering molecular-level mechanisms to modelling patterns and processes at the landscape-scale.
Professor David Johnson, Chair in Soil Microbial Ecology at Lancaster University, said: “This new collaboration will generate critical understanding of how underground fungal networks function in grasslands.
“We will use cutting-edge stable isotope tracer techniques to measure how symbiotic fungi associated with plant roots channel carbon from plants into soil, and how external factors such as drought and herbivory affect these pathways.”
In the first phase of the project, the team will explore how diverse mycorrhizal fungi form networks with plants and how these networks work across scales using a unique combination of long-term field and lab-based experiments. Using this new knowledge, they’ll develop new ways to boost soil health by improving how fungi are introduced into soils and managed. These methods will be designed for both farms and natural environments with the aim of helping crops absorb nutrients more efficiently, cutting down on chemical fertilisers, restoring healthy soils and sequestering and storing more carbon underground.
Throughout the 10-year project, the team will work with stakeholders, including Syngenta, PlantLife, and ADAS, to translate discovery-focused fundamental research into practical applications. This includes developing policy frameworks that integrate mycorrhizal management into nature-based climate solutions, agricultural sustainability initiatives, and ecosystem restoration efforts.
Seven pioneering researchers have been announced as the first recipients of the Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowships, prestigious long-term awards to support exceptional mid-career research leaders in the UK. For more information visit the Royal Society here.
Lord Vallance, UK Science Minister, said: "Turbo-charging our world-class institutions with the very best research talent will be critical to unlocking breakthroughs that could help protect our food chains, put AI to work in the economy, and tackle climate change. That's why DSIT has backed the Royal Society with £250 million in long-term funding to support the work of mid-career researchers who are at the top of their game.
"These seven talented researchers will only bolster the rich diversity and quality of scientific enquiry, that's happening in the UK. Whether it's through backing for our homegrown researchers and innovators through our record £22.6 billion commitment to R&D, or through the over £115 million funding we're using to bring the world's best research talent here too, we're determined to see brilliant ideas brought to life here."