Prof. Mark Stevens, Head of Science BBRO UK. Mark Stevens joined the British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO) in December 2012 having spent over 23 years as a sugar beet research scientist at Rothamsted Research–Broom’s Barn. Whilst there, he initially studied for his PhD and ultimately became group leader of the crop protection group and head of site in 2012. He is an applied biologist by training and more specifically, a plant pathologist (particularly viruses), and has investigated the impact, control, and epidemiology of pests and diseases especially rhizomania and virus yellows. During his career, he was a visiting scientist at INRA-Colmar and spent a 12-month sabbatical at Iowa State University. He was convenor of the AAB virology group as well as an editor for the Annals of Applied Biology. Mark continues to manage and oversee a research portfolio that includes funding from competitive research grants as well as grants from the agrochemical sector, seed companies, and agricultural trust funds. Mark works closely with the sugar beet industry via his role within the BBRO to ensure appropriate R&D to maximise the future potential of the sugar beet crop. In 2019, Mark was awarded an Honorary Professorship in Plant Virology from the University of Nottingham. His research interest mainly focuses on weeds.
Prof. Simon G Edwards is currently working in the Crop and Environmental Sciences at Harper Adams University in Newport, UK. He received his PhD of Agriculture from the University of Aberdeen in 1993. His research interests mainly focus on the development and validation of quantitative PCR assays for plant pests and pathogens, Fusarium head blight, and mycotoxin production in cereals, and agricultural and process contaminants. He is the member of the JECFA (Joint Expert Committee of WHO/FAO on food additives and contaminants), British Society for Plant Pathology, International Society for Mycotoxicology, and Internatioanal Society for Microbiology. He is the Section Board Member of the journal Toxins.
Matthew Back F. Appl. Biol. is a reader and lead for the Nematology Group at Harper Adams University. He teaches Plant Pathology and Crop Protection to undergraduate and postgraduate students, while his research is focused on developing knowledge on the biology and management of plant parasitic nematodes, particularly on potatoes. MAB and his group have undertaken significant research on potato cyst nematodes (PCN) and free-living plant parasitic nematodes of other crops; the group have been active since 1992. Work has also been undertaken on strategies for managing nematode pests, including trap cropping, biofumigation, use of varietal tolerance, novel compounds, and biopesticides. He is actively involved in the supervision of PhD students having current/previous involvement in 27 projects to date. He has been an author on over 50 refereed papers, most of them on nematology, and is a regular speaker at scientific and industry events. Moreover, he is a member of the Association of Applied Biologists, British Society of Plant Pathology, and European Society of Nematolgists.
