Group - Giles Oldroyd

I am interested in understanding how plant cells and organs acquire identity and how plants adapt their development in response to other organisms. I carried out my PhD studies at Duke University (USA) studying cell differentiation of the root ground tissue under the supervision of Dr. Philip Benfey. Currently, I’m a post-doctoral scientist working with Drs. Oldroyd and Jones. I’m a former EMBO Long-Term Fellow and recipient of the Marie Sklodowska Curie individual fellowship. Currently, I’m a Junior Research Fellow at Lucy Cavendish College.

Research Interests

Most legumes could form nitrogen-fixing nodules through mutualistic symbiosis with soil bacteria. Therefore, legume crops do not rely heavily on nitrogen fertilisers. Since high nitrogen fertilisers usage consumes fossil fuels and leads to various environmental problems, nitrogen-fixing crops provide more sustainable option for food production. I am fascinated by the high plasticity of legume root development and this drives my research interest in understanding the mechanisms underlying this property.

Research Interests

I am interested in the fundamental question of how the coordination of cell proliferation, cell growth and cell differentiation results in the development of plant organs of specific size, shape and function. I am particularly interested in the gene regulatory networks that direct and coordinate these post-embryonic organogenesis processes and hence generate the enormous diversity we find among plant organs.