We are proud to attract talented scientists from all over the world, who bring with them vast experience in genomics, bioinformatics and scientific computing. Led by expert group leaders, our ever-expanding research groups are at the forefront in modern life sciences.
How do we answer the most imminently approaching question of our time: how to feed 9 billion people by 2050? At the heart of this lies an intrinsic discrepancy. A continuously increasing global population must find a way to increase calorie production by 60% in three decades time, while crop yields that once soared above this rise have begun to plateau. We aim to help solve this multi-faceted problem with a far ranging and holistic approach to improving food security.
Since 9000BC, long before the tipping point of next-generation sequencing, humans have been shuffling the genetic pack in order to grow heartier and environmentally-resistant crops.
Today, we take it for granted that our supermarket shelves are full of carrots, parsnips, potatoes and bread – but the history of where these crops came from and how they came to appear as they are – is as varied as the genetic diversity we have lost throughout thousands of years of selective breeding.
Whereas historically we selected plants based on their characteristics, from yield to flavour and even colour, we are now able to track these changes at the genetic level. How can investigating the existence of our crop plants, as well as their relatives in the wild, aid us in feeding an ever-expanding population, and how can genetics inform how we breed the crops of the future?
The switch from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a more settled existence has occurred independently in at least eight regions throughout the world. Each of these regions has produced its own diverse range of crops: wheat, rye and barley in the Fertile Crescent, rice and millet in China, sugarcane and bananas in Indo-Malaysia, maize and squash in Mexico, potatoes in Peru and sorghum in Abyssinia.
Closely following the centres of crop domestication, suddenly villages were formed and complex, stratified societies were established. While some people tended to the fields and observed how plants grew and could be improved, this didn’t require the entire population.
Despite appearances, the genomes of the bulging, naked, yellow-kernelled corn on the cob and its diminutively-seeded wild relative are almost identical.
The switch from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a more settled existence has occurred independently in at least eight regions throughout the world. Each of these regions has produced its own diverse range of crops: wheat, rye and barley in the Fertile Crescent, rice and millet in China, sugarcane and bananas in Indo-Malaysia, maize and squash in Mexico, potatoes in Peru and sorghum in Abyssinia.
Closely following the centres of crop domestication, suddenly villages were formed and complex, stratified societies were established. While some people tended to the fields and observed how plants grew and could be improved, this didn’t require the entire population.
Despite appearances, the genomes of the bulging, naked, yellow-kernelled corn on the cob and its diminutively-seeded wild relative are almost identical.
In order to answer these pressing questions, we are exploring the breadth of biological solutions to the global food crisis - focusing not only on crops and livestock but on the pathogens and pests that infect and destroy them. We research how natural variation can be reclaimed from the wild ancestors and relatives of our most important crop species. Our cutting edge software helps crop breeders to better select for beneficial traits in diverse species essential for food, more sustainable biofuels, fallow for fields and grazing for livestock. We investigate alternative methods to aid us in detecting and responding to pathogens in the field, while using advanced techniques to closely monitor crop growth in real time, which can reduce the use of chemicals and increase crop yields.
We not only search for answers to questions directly pertaining to food security but also to intrinsically linked environmental issues. By exploring the mechanisms by which bacteria can acquire antibiotic resistance we can attempt to relate these to animal husbandry practices. Through monitoring the health of our oceans, soils and pollinators we can better understand the deleterious effects of chemical pollution and climate change on primary production and the ecosystems that we rely on in order to produce our food.
Advanced open access tools developed by our bioinformaticians help the international scientific community to better analyse and investigate findings in an era of big-data bioscience research, while being at the forefront in developing high-throughput genome sequencing using the latest in supercomputing technology.
We provide real-world solutions to global issues. Our research can be applied to fields, farms and industries from Norfolk to Vietnam, with high-tech and sustainable outcomes to increase yields, prevent losses and sustain environmental health and biological diversity.
In order to answer these pressing questions, we are exploring the breadth of biological solutions to the global food crisis - focusing not only on crops and livestock but on the pathogens and pests that infect and destroy them. We research how natural variation can be reclaimed from the wild ancestors and relatives of our most important crop species. Our cutting edge software helps crop breeders to better select for beneficial traits in diverse species essential for food, more sustainable biofuels, fallow for fields and grazing for livestock. We investigate alternative methods to aid us in detecting and responding to pathogens in the field, while using advanced techniques to closely monitor crop growth in real time, which can reduce the use of chemicals and increase crop yields.
We not only search for answers to questions directly pertaining to food security but also to intrinsically linked environmental issues. By exploring the mechanisms by which bacteria can acquire antibiotic resistance we can attempt to relate these to animal husbandry practices. Through monitoring the health of our oceans, soils and pollinators we can better understand the deleterious effects of chemical pollution and climate change on primary production and the ecosystems that we rely on in order to produce our food.
Advanced open access tools developed by our bioinformaticians help the international scientific community to better analyse and investigate findings in an era of big-data bioscience research, while being at the forefront in developing high-throughput genome sequencing using the latest in supercomputing technology.
We provide real-world solutions to global issues. Our research can be applied to fields, farms and industries from Norfolk to Vietnam, with high-tech and sustainable outcomes to increase yields, prevent losses and sustain environmental health and biological diversity.
Our collaborations include both local farmers as well as researchers spanning six continents, allowing us to expand our impact on an international scale.
The switch from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a more settled existence has occurred independently in at least eight regions throughout the world. Each of these regions has produced its own diverse range of crops: wheat, rye and barley in the Fertile Crescent, rice and millet in China, sugarcane and bananas in Indo-Malaysia, maize and squash in Mexico, potatoes in Peru and sorghum in Abyssinia.
Closely following the centres of crop domestication, suddenly villages were formed and complex, stratified societies were established. While some people tended to the fields and observed how plants grew and could be improved, this didn’t require the entire population.
We are proud to attract talented scientists from all over the world, who bring with them vast experience in genomics, bioinformatics and scientific computing. Led by expert group leaders, our ever-expanding research groups are at the forefront in modern life sciences.
In order to answer these pressing questions, we are exploring the breadth of biological solutions to the global food crisis - focusing not only on crops and livestock but on the pathogens and pests that infect and destroy them. We research how natural variation can be reclaimed from the wild ancestors and relatives of our most important crop species. Our cutting edge software helps crop breeders to better select for beneficial traits in diverse species essential for food, more sustainable biofuels, fallow for fields and grazing for livestock. We investigate alternative methods to aid us in detecting and responding to pathogens in the field, while using advanced techniques to closely monitor crop growth in real time, which can reduce the use of chemicals and increase crop yields.
We not only search for answers to questions directly pertaining to food security but also to intrinsically linked environmental issues. By exploring the mechanisms by which bacteria can acquire antibiotic resistance we can attempt to relate these to animal husbandry practices. Through monitoring the health of our oceans, soils and pollinators we can better understand the deleterious effects of chemical pollution and climate change on primary production and the ecosystems that we rely on in order to produce our food.
Advanced open access tools developed by our bioinformaticians help the international scientific community to better analyse and investigate findings in an era of big-data bioscience research, while being at the forefront in developing high-throughput genome sequencing using the latest in supercomputing technology.
We provide real-world solutions to global issues. Our research can be applied to fields, farms and industries from Norfolk to Vietnam, with high-tech and sustainable outcomes to increase yields, prevent losses and sustain environmental health and biological diversity.
We can’t do what we do without our people, so we like to make sure they are looked after. We’ll give you a competitive salary and generous pension, health benefits such as on-site sports facilities and cycle schemes, and all the latest technology you need to get your work done.
We also believe strongly in personal development, so we’ll make sure you get the training and development opportunities you need to advance your career with us.
TGAC has a focus on Knowledge Exchange
and Commercialisation for the long-term
delivery of social and economic impact
from our research, world-class science and
capability. Collaboration is central to our
activities, enabling us to deliver tangible results
for industry partners.
Thank you very much for the sequencing data - the results are just perfect. I have had troubles with orders from large, well-known companies recently and it is refreshing to see that good communication and high-quality work still exists.
Eamon Dubaissi, The University of Manchester.
