Microbe-induced plant resistance against insect pests

I am broadly interested in how species interactions influence community structure and ecosystem function. I currently study this using a crop plant – invertebrate – microbe system, to understand how interactions between plants and beneficial soil microbes, and aphids and their protective endosymbionts, are modified by interactions with other species and the abiotic environment.

My work aims to understand microbe-induced plant resistance to insects at the molecular level and how to transfer this into the field for sustainable agriculture

Current Projects

Plant-invertebrate-microbe interactions

My research investigates how we can use beneficial soil bacteria and earthworms to increase plant yield while simultaneously defending against insect pests - essentially using beneficial species interactions to mitigate the loss of yield we see when we reduce chemical pesticide and synthetic fertilizer inputs. Using a combination of greenhouse/field experiments and molecular analyses, I will characterise these interactions from the ‘genome to the field’. 

BBSRC International Partnering Awards (2022-2026)

Spain: Towards identifying common patterns of microbe-induced plant resistance against insect pests 

NERC Exploring the Frontiers (2023-2024) Impact of plant-beneficial soil microbes on aboveground parasitism of insect herbivores

BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship (2019-2025) Unravelling beneficial multi-species interactions in a cereal crop system. PDRA: Crispus Mbaluto (2021-2024)

DFG (German Research Foundation) grant (2018-2022). We study the impact of beneficial plant rhizobacteria on the suppression of aboveground aphid populations across varying abiotic environments (CO2, O3, nutrients) and biotic environments (earthworms). 

Aphid secondary bacterial symbionts

Aphid secondary bacterial symbionts can have wide ranging effects on the aphid host. We investigate how they can mediate interactions between the aphid and the surrounding plant community, primarily on field-collected aphids.

Royal Society Research Grant (2023-2024) Multiple hosting of bacterial endosymbionts in aphids: a benefit or a burden?

British Ecological Society small research grant (2017-2018)

PhD students

BBSRC NWD PhD Project. Gemma Price, 2026-2030. Designing Functional Soil Microbiomes for Crop Health.

This project will model microbial interactions to study functional microbial networks and develop a framework underwhich reliable consortia can be designed for crop protection.

The University of Manchester FSE Bicentenary PhD Programme. Lucas Fanelli, 2026-2030. Predicting functional plant–microbiome networks for soil remediation.

This project will identify mechanisms underpinning microbial zinc solubilisation, and build a predictive framework linking plant-microbial interactions for soil remediation.

The University of Manchester, Departmental PhD Programme. Rajan Lidhar, 2026-2030. Designing Functional SynComs for Sustainable Agriculture.

This project will identify microbes responding to strain inoculations, aiming to develop strain-supportive communties to enhance inoculant effectiveness in the field.

NERC ACCE PhD Project, University of Liverpool. Nazree Zainurin, 2025-2029

This project examines the rhizosphere microbiome of wild grass species under drought and herbivory treatments, with the aim to isolate novel beneficial microbes.

NERC ACCE PhD Project, University of Liverpool. Andrea Ceribelli, 2023-2027. Papers: https://doi.org/10.1111/een.70099 

This project measures fitness effects of hosting protective aphid symbionts, with the aim to use these to examine the impact of symbionts on community dynamics over time in controlled mesocosms.

Completed PhDs

NERC ACCE PhD Project (Edward Cairns 2022-2026, now PDRA in Southampton). Papers: https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70409 

This project explores the belowground microbiome after inoculation with beneficial rhizobacteria, to identify facilitative effects with other microbes, including other bacteria and fungi.

BBSRC NLD-DTP PhD project (Megan Parker 2020-2025, now lecturer at University of Chester). Papers: https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70783; https://doi.org/10.3920/29501679-bja10003 

We investigate the effect of inoculating plants with beneficial rhizobacteria on plant volatiles. Volatiles can attract natural enemies of insect pests to increase natural biological control.