Lida Derevnina

Dr. Lida Derevnina is a leading researcher in plant-pathogen interactions and immune receptor networks at the University of Cambridge, affiliated with the School of Biological Sciences and the Department of Plant Sciences. She heads the Crop Pathogen Immunity Group at the Crop Science Centre, focusing on NLR (Nucleotide-binding and Leucine-Rich Repeat) immune receptor networks and pathogen effector functions to engineer durable crop resistance.

• Education:
  • PhD in Plant Pathology and Phytopathology, University of Sydney (2008-2012)
  • BSc in Agricultural Science, University of Sydney (2004-2007)

Her research explores how pathogens evade plant immunity through effector proteins and how NLR networks can be bioengineered to counteract these mechanisms. This work bridges molecular biology, evolutionary genetics, and sustainable agriculture, with recent advances in resistosome activation models and effectorome characterization.

Scientific awards include the Crop Science Centre Fellowship (2022), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (2016), and the Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum Award (2012). Her work has been published in top journals such as Science, Nature, and PLoS Biology.

Dr. Derevnina is actively engaged in public outreach, including the Talking Biotech podcast and a YouTube video explaining plant immunity. Her laboratory collaborates on projects related to global food security and pathogen genomics.