Dr Alison Lees appointed as the Head of Department for Cell & Molecular Sciences
The James Hutton Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Alison Lees as Head of Department for Cell & Molecular Sciences.
Dr Lees is a senior plant pathologist and previously led the Epidemiology & Disease Control research group within CMS. She has extensive research experience, focusing primarily on the epidemiology, detection, and management of potato diseases. Alison has a particular interest in Integrated Pest Management and has a notable track record in industry collaborative research.
Alison is also a coordinator of Euroblight ‘A Late-Blight Network for Europe’, co-lead of the IPM@Hutton initiative, a long-standing editor for the journal Plant Pathology, and currently manages the Scottish Government-funded Strategic Research Programme for Plant Health, the aim of which is to develop strategies for the sustainable control of damaging pests and diseases of major Scottish crops.
Following the announcement, Alison said: “I am delighted to be appointed to this leadership role and look forward to working with colleagues in the Department whose research examines processes from the gene and molecular level through to the field scale, providing knowledge to tackle problems of food security and to develop sustainable production systems against a background of environmental change.”
Press and media enquiries:
Adam Walker, Communications Officer, Tel: +44 (0)1224 395095 (direct line), +44 (0)344 928 5428 (switchboard).