Steve Hoad

Steve Hoad is a Professor at Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), holding the position of Reader in Crop and Soils within the CSS: Crop Improvement & Agronomy Food Security Challenge Centre. His primary affiliations include SRUC's Peter Wilson Building in Edinburgh. Hoad specializes in cereal improvement, grain quality assessment, and crop diversity research. He advises the cereals sector through roles in the National List Seeds Committee and Malting Barley Committee, contributing to variety evaluation and agronomic standards.

Education: Hoad earned a PhD in Crop Physiology from the University of Reading in 1990. His research focuses on cereal genetics, remote sensing applications in agriculture, and sustainable crop production. Key projects include the RESAS-funded initiatives exploring barley diversity and novel crops' environmental impacts, as well as AHDB's Recommended List trials for cereals.

Teaching and Consultancy: He teaches Advanced Agronomy and Arable Crop Production, and provides agronomic guidance for industry events. His consultancy work includes advising on barley variety selection and malting quality.

Research Output: Over 100 publications span cereal variety evaluations, fertilizer management, and crop modeling. Recent work emphasizes genomic characterization of crops like finger millet and the agronomic performance of barley landraces under high-yield conditions.

Awards and Recognition: No specific scientific awards are listed, though his extensive contributions to cereal research and industry engagement highlight his expertise in the field.

Grants and Projects: Active in securing funding for multi-year projects (e.g., £6.8M RESAS 2022-2027), focusing on crop resilience, diversity, and sustainable farming technologies. Collaborations include the James Hutton Institute and industry partners like AHDB.