The Global Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. George's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
About George
Positions and education:
2023 – present Associate Head of School (Biology), School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth
2021 – present Associate Professor of Plant and Fungal Biology, School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth
2016 – 2021 Lecturer in Applied Biology and Programme Lead, School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth
2012 – 2016 Research Fellow, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter
2007 – 2012 Research Fellow, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter
2006 – 2007 Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Plant Science Group, IBLS, University of Glasgow
1999 – 2006 PhD, University of Glasgow
1994 – 1999 B.Sc.(Hons), Genetics (With Work Placement) University of Glasgow
Research interests:
Research in my group centres around plant-pathogen interactions and the use of complementary imaging modalities in plant stress biology. We focus on (1) understanding the cellular and molecular basis of rice blast disease and (2) non-invasive image-based diagnosis of plant disease and stress biology.
Rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae) kills enough rice each year to feed 60 million people. We are working to understand the basic processes of infection and use molecular and imaging-based techniques. We routinely use minimally invasive methods such as chlorophyll fluorescence imaging and confocal microscopy, which is allows us to explore in detail and with sensitivity, mechanisms of infection. In addition, we use molecular genetic manipulation (including CRISPR-Cas9) and image-based and molecular diagnostic techniques, which gives a complete toolkit to pursue a research programme in the whole organism and cell biology of plant pathogen interactions.
Ongoing projects in the lab are (1) The role of the circadian clock in rice blast disease (Ciaran Griffin, UoP studentship), which has shown the importance of both the plant and fungal circadian clocks in determining disease outcome; (2) Fluorescence imaging for Nutrition and Disease (FIND) (Dr Naofel Aljafer and Mrs. Angela Harrop, ERDF, INTERREG funded), which is using plant chlorophyll imaging to give pre-symptomatic diagnosis of plant disease, which has implications for agriculture (3) The role of the chloroplast in plant immunity (Kokila Wickramanayake Pathirannahalage, PhD student).
In addition to our core research in plant pathology, the laboratory is also engaged in several funded collaborative projects (see grants and contracts).
Grants awarded since coming to University of Plymouth:
2024-2025 UoP Lead Investigator (with Dr Trevor Grigg, RNA Agribio and Dr. Tom Pope, Harper Adams) RNAi control of cabbage stem flea beetle. UKRI Innovate Farming Innovation Programme, Feasibility Round 3 (£208,000).
2024-2025 Knowledge Base Supervisor (with Prof. Mark Fitzsimons, UoP) Biostimulant formulations for agriculture in South Africa. UKRI Innovate African Agriculture KTP (£250,000).
2021-2023 Co- Investigator (with Dr. Kirsty Matthews Nicholass, Dr. Jon Ellis, Ciaran Griffin, PhD student, UoP) High-throughput screening to assist the genetic improvement of diverse fungi relevant to agriculture. Seale-Hayne Educational Trust (£7,323).
2021 - 2023 Co-Investigator (PI, Professor Mark Fitzsimons, UoP) INTERREG "Recon Soil"
2021 - 2024 Co-Investigator (PI, Dr Jon Ellis, UoP), Wherefore the magic? Investigating the origin of psychedelic compounds in nature. Levehulme Trust
2020 - 2024 Co-Investigator (PI, Professor Richard Thompson FRS., UoP) BIO-PLASTIC-RISK "Biodegradable Bioplastics – Assessing Environmental Risk" ID: NE/V007556/1, NERC
2020 - 2022 Co- Investigator (with Ciaran Griffin, PhD student) The metabolic inhibition of sporulation in the rice blast pathogen, Magnaporthe oryzae. Seale-Hayne Educational Trust.
2018 - 2021 Principal Investigator Agritech Cornwall, FIND Project: Image-based early diagnosis of plant health. European Regional Development Fund.
2018 - 2020 Principal Investigator (with Dr Will Vevers) Investigating the biocontrol of fungal pathogens using epiphytic bacteria from Abies nordmanniana. Seale-Hayne Educational Trust.
2017 - 2019 Principal Investigator Multi-scale imaging of pathogen-chloroplast interaction during rice blast disease progression. Seale-Hayne Educational Trust.
2017 - 2021 Principal Investigator / PhD Supervisor The role of circadian entrainment in rice blast disease. Faculty of Science and Engineering, Plymouth University.
External examiner:
2024 External Examiner PhD Megan Lewis, University of Warwick, UK
2023 External Examiner PhD Ana Lozano, University of Alicante, Spain
2020 University of Glasgow PhD external examiner
2020, 2021 University of Exeter MRes external examiner
Invited lectures:
2023 Research seminar (via Zoom), Rajarata University, Sri Lanka
2022 Research seminar (via Zoom), University of Basrah, Iraq
2022 Research seminar (via Zoom), University of Kent, UK
2020 Research seminar (via Zoom), University of Arkansas, USA
2020 Research seminar (via Zoom), University of Alicante, Spain
2019 Invited talk, GARNet Workshop: Advances in Plant Imaging, University of Warwick, UK.
2018 Research seminar, University of York, UK
2017 Research seminar, University of Warwick, UK
2016 Research seminar, University of Alicante, Spain
2016 Invited lecture series on advanced imaging, University of Alicante, Spain
2015 Research seminar, University of Durham, UK.
2015 Research seminar, Centre for Plant Integrative Biology, University of Nottingham, UK.
2015 12th New Phytologist workshop “The apoplast as battleground for plant–microbe interactions” Gießen, Germany.
2015 Research seminar, Institute of Phytomedicine, University of Bonn, Germany.
2014 Society for Experimental Biology President’s Medallist Talk (Education & PublicAffairs), Main Meeting, Manchester, UK.
2014 Society for Experimental Biology, Careers Talk, SEB Main Meeting, Manchester, UK.
Conferences organised:
2017 Co-chair, Light-sheet microscopy, RMS MMC Meeting , Manchester, UK
2017 Co-chair, Imaging pathogenesis in plants, SEB Main Meeting , Gothenburg, Sweden
2017 Co-chair, The research and teaching nexus, SEB Main Meeting , Gothenburg, Sweden
2016 Chair, Science with Impact Plenary Session, SEB Main Meeting , Brighton, UK
2015 Co-chair, Innovations in undergraduate teaching Session, SEB Main Meeting , Prague, Czech Republic
2014 Lead applicant and co-organiser:“Undergraduates never do anything useful” Workshop, University of Exeter. (ASPB blog post covering the event here: http://blog.aspb.org/2014/04/28/research-led-teaching-opportunities-for-early-career-researchers/)
2012 Co-organiser, How to be a Great Teacher workshop, International Conference on Arabidopsis Research , Vienna, Austria
2011 – 2016 Co-organiser, Exeter Imaging Network
Supervised Research Degrees
I am currently Director of Studies for 2 PhD students:
Mrs. Kokila Wickramanayake Pathirannahalage (https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/staff/kokila-wickramanayake-pathirannahalage) who is working on chloroplastic changes in response to pathogen challenge.
Ms. Peggy McGroary (https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/people/peggy-mcgroary) who is working with Dr. Dana Macgregor on control of gene expression in weeds using VIGS and VOX.
and one ResM student:
Mr. Mohit Biju who is working on an interdisciplinary project on nematode infections of scented narcissi with growers on the Isles of Scilly.
Teaching
I enjoy teaching and have a particular interest in research-led teaching. I currently teach on several plant and molecular biology modules in all undergraduate stages and lead the final year module, BIOL301(Z) Plant Biotechnology: Lectures on plant biotechnology, synthetic biology. Workshops on socioeconomic and ethical aspects, gene mining and GM/GE strategy.
Contact George
A404, Portland Square, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
+44 1752 584487
george.littlejohn@plymouth.ac.uk
