David Baulcombe

Sir David Baulcombe is a Royal Society Research Professor at the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge. His research focuses on plant gene regulation, RNA silencing, epigenetics, and disease resistance mechanisms.

• Key research areas include:
• RNA-based immune responses in plants
• Epigenetic inheritance in hybrids
• Small RNA mobility in grafting
• Transposon silencing dynamics
• Application of epigenetics to crop improvement

His scientific contributions are highlighted by discoveries in small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and NLR proteins in disease resistance. He led the establishment of the Crop Science Centre in collaboration with NIAB.

Awards and honors:

• Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
• Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci)

Research methodology includes next-generation sequencing, gene editing in tomato, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), and analysis of graft-transmissible siRNA signals.