Thomas Wood

Dr. Thomas Wood serves as Deputy Head of Plant Pathology and Senior Programme Leader at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), where he leads research in plant genetics, genomics, and pathology. His work focuses on legumes and oilseeds with particular expertise in downy mildews and other significant crop pathogens.

Dr. Wood's research interests center on understanding plant-pathogen interactions at the molecular level and translating this knowledge into practical disease management solutions. His work spans from fundamental research on host-pathogen relationships to applied solutions for crop protection, with a strong emphasis on sustainable approaches that reduce chemical inputs in agriculture.

His recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a consistent research trajectory focused on disease resistance mechanisms in legumes, particularly faba beans, and innovative approaches to pathogen control including RNAi-based strategies and AI-assisted disease diagnosis. These works appear in respected journals such as Molecular Plant Pathology, Frontiers in Plant Sciences, and Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology.

Dr. Wood has secured substantial research funding from diverse sources including BBSRC, Defra, and Innovate UK, supporting multiple concurrent projects that address critical challenges in crop protection. His research program includes both UK-focused initiatives and international collaborations, particularly on bean disease resistance in Africa.

• Pulse Crop Genetic Improvement Network (2024-2029, Defra)
• Sustainable Crop Control: bioinsecticides efficacy (2024-2026, Innovate UK)
• AI-based crop disease diagnosis (2024-2026, Innovate UK)
• Rapid effector discovery for wheat protection (2024-2027, BBSRC)
• Bean disease resistance in Africa (2022-2027, philanthropic)

Dr. Wood maintains extensive collaborations with academic and research institutions including John Innes Centre, University of Reading, University of Birmingham, and international partners in Africa. His work bridges fundamental plant pathology research with practical agricultural applications, contributing significantly to sustainable crop protection strategies.