Liz's wibblings on life as a Plant Scientist

5 December 2022

I'm asked a few Qs by an curious undergraduate student at the University of Bristol...

What makes you fascinated by plant science, specifically phytoremediation?

I grew up on a tulip farm in the Lincolnshire fens. and have always loved plants. And this is a weird admission, but growing up I used to love the texture and characteristics of the soil there. It's amazing stuff, crumbly, rich chocolate brown. Smells good too! I know I'm in a huge group of people that are eternally amazed when a seed sprouts into a plant. Especially if we've nurtured it into doing this. And then, wow, there are so many different types of plant out there! Leaves, flowers, towering trees, and all the funny wacky stuff you learn they do. Poking a finger into a pitcher plant, pinging a long spine on a cactus (it is possible to play tunes this way, try 'Happy Birthday' on an Echinocactus grusonii). The joy of finding a shiny conker from its casing- there is no-one alive on the planet who doesn't like this. As a kid, running around at Halloween astride a witch's broom made of pampas grass. The existence of bananas! Brazil nuts nestled in their shell like a Terry's chocolate orange!, Cocoa pods - incredible. I was once given a pod to freeze-dry as a specimen (the owner sent a replica in chocolate as a thank you. Happy Days!). What about bullrushes?! Autumn leaves, pulling the sheath back on a corn-on-the-cob, cycling past a field of sunflowers? Sitting with my great grandma, shelling perfect pearly peas from giant hessian bags, riding on a tulip-encrusted float at Spalding tulip parade, digging potatoes up (ok just a few - I've worked on a commercial potato picker and it can be hard to retain the enjoyment). But this is a joy ALL kids love, and we shouldn't ever lose this.

What was your career path?

I was always told to 'study what you love'. I love plants and wanted a career working with them. My careers' adviser at school suggested I get work in the horticultural trade. He meant propagating and selling plants, a relatively common career path in the Fens where I grew up. You start with a poly tunnel, choose a few species to cover the seasons - maybe spring daffodils, summer bedding plants and cut flower chrysanthemums in the autumn. Access to nearby plant auction rooms, and long hours of hard work whenever the season peaks. It's a good living, and when you know about the miracles of plant propagation, it has its beauty. But I knew I wanted something more, and neither I, nor my careers' teacher, could think what it would be called.

When I saw a 4-year course called 'Applied plant science' at Manchester university, I knew I'd found it. A glorious mix of plant biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics and agriculture, although biotech was still in its infancy (Monsanto did not release the Flavr Savr Tomato until 1994). My year out at the Jealott's Hill Syngenta site (called ICI at the time) enabled me to biotech trailblaze on one of the first UK GM field trials, analysing herbicide-resistant oilseed rape. I graduated with plant science knowledge, but no career advice whatsoever. Near the end of the last term, the inspiring, and caring lecturer Prof Mike Eames, told me that a Dr Stephen Rawsthorne was advertising a Gatsby Charitable Foundation-funded studentship.The charity was founded by David Sainsbury, and the project involved working on photosynthesis in GM C3-C4 intermediate plants at the John Innes Centre. I had not a clue about who, what or where, but was definitely curious. Visits and a very enjoyable interview at Oxford followed, then I began my studentship; I had no idea how well I'd landed on my feet. As one of the first Gatsby plant science students, and they have funded every year since, both Gatsby and I were still very much shaping the future format. I was given advice about public speaking (those who know me now, and struggle to get a word in edgeways with a fish-slice, will be amused to know I was terrified about speaking in public), and attended daunting mini conferences in posh places, with scary, important people. I started to feel I was out of my depth, and not worthy, imposter syndrome?

After my PhD, I knew I wanted to work on C4 photosynthesis. There's something dead clever about the whole physiology and biochemistry of the C4 set up that really excited me. And I wanted to work with Prof Hugh Nimmo in Glasgow. I'd met him at a Gatsby meeting (I think), and thought he was brilliant (he is)! I sent him my cv, and although he declined, he kindly passed it on to a young upstart: Dr Ian Graham. Ian was the Bright Young Thing with Monsanto funding, he took me on, I suspect based on my Gatsby credentials alone (he later told me my cover letter was rubbish). I worked with Ian on a Monsanto-funded project on seed germination, then a second postdoc followed, and when Ian moved down to York to help set up the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP), I moved too.

At this point in my career, I was beginning to feel more than a little desperate. No career advice was forthcoming, and it seemed to me that I just needed 'some good papers', so I put my head down...and maybe forgot to look up?

A few years later, Dr, now Prof, Neil Bruce came up from Cambridge to deliver an amazing talk on GM plants that could break down explosives on military training ranges. Pun probably intended; it lit the fuse! I realised I had become disengaged with the research on seed germination; the science seemed to be spiraling into a dense bog of regulator genes with conflicting ideas and, to me, an unclear path forward. 'Omics research was showing promise, but this wasn't a direction I wanted to go. Neil moved his research up to York, and I popped up to chat about a four year position he was advertising. Despite being in the Scouting movement, I was foolishly unprepared for the on-the-spot interview this became, but somehow managed to secure the job. I started to feel I had some control and direction; I 'just' needed to get a 'few more good papers out'. Publications in Science, Nat. Biotech and other leading journals followed. I got married, had a couple of kids and probably finally grew up(ish). Neil was a fabulous and supportive boss, and career development for postdoctoral researchers had grown and embedded. (I'm proud to have had a small role in this on various committees from the Roberts review for postgraduate researcher career development in 2002 onwards). But my position was not good. I felt geographically tied to York, family were here, and reluctant to move again. York is a Russell Group university, lectureship positions are prestigious and highly competitive; internal candidates were not favoured. A senior researcher now, I was a group manager, running numerous projects, supervising students, writing grants. I was on university committees, journal editorial boards, an invited speaker at international conferences, but feeling like the fraud lawyer Mike in Netflix 's Suits; I was a not an independent academic. I needed to develop my own research area, on top of my day job...

One thing in my research area that increasingly bugged me was the 'miracle' use of plants to remediate toxic levels of low value metals such as cadmium, zinc and lead from polluted soils. Hurrah, we are all saved! But where does the toxic metal-rich biomass go? Under the wallpaper in a Banky? I started to research uses for metal-rich biomass. Together with wonderful colleagues in the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, here at York, we looked at catalytically-active metals like nickel, and started to see results. I applied as PI for short-term funding (as a contract researcher, grants had to finish before my own current contract ended). Excited, and engaged with the science, I started to whip up my research area.

One thing that academics do is teach. This fact is obvious, but historically, university researchers have been separated and hidden from the everyday teaching of undergraduate students. Times changed, and part-time positions became available designed to give postdoc researchers experience in teaching at York. I rolled up my sleeves and did all the preparation I could think of to secure one of these positions. When I really really want something, like Veruca Salt I can find incredible focus. Beginning the teaching role, I had an epiphany. What on earth had I been missing, right under my nose, all this time?! Enthusing and teaching students is one of the biggest privileges and joys out there. I utterly loved it. And wanted more. It was only a couple more years before lectureship positions at York were advertised. I had been a

Dipterocarp seedling on the forest floor, and when that sunlight came, it was my beanstalk moment.

I am now a senior lecturer at York, but should have done this a lot sooner: Walking the walk builds confidence, and trying new stuff rejuvenates. If you're not where you want to be, don't wait on the forest floor (even banana trees can walk...).

What do you think the most important skills for a plant scientist are?

Oh this is easy: communication! Bring people together, talk (ideally over a nice Vicky sponge). I know a little about lots of different things and want to bring others together to help me achieve the bigger picture. Hard lab skills and techniques change all the time, we have a new machine for protein purification. I don't know how to use it...but I know someone who does.

I know my weaknesses - I'm unlikely to ever read a manual before starting something, and careful, repetitive tasks with long-term focus could be an issue (brain surgeon def a career no no). I put my foot in my mouth often, and dig socially awkward holes like a rabbit. But I'm tremendously happy (and amused that enthusiasm is a strength and, to some, an unbelievable annoyance!), and I'm doing what I love.

16 August 2017

22 March 2016

Presenting 'The chemical biology behind the phytotoxicity of the environmental pollutant and explosive 2,4,6 trinitrotoluene' at the Biological Physical Sciences Institute (BPSI) symposium ‘Chemical Biology at the physical-life sciences interface’, York.

20 January 2016

22:30pm 3 September 2015

Our paper explaining why TNT is toxic to plants is out in Science!

21 May 2015