Dr John Darbyshire

Born London 1931. Educated at Rhodes University BSc Hons (Zoology 1st Class), BSc Hons (Botany), MSc (Freshwater Hydrobiology), Awarded Captain Scott Junior Memorial Medal by South African Biology Society for MSc thesis; Cambridge University Postgraduate Diploma in Agricultural Science (two years) specialising in Plant Pathology, Agricultural Botany and Agriculture; London University PhD (Bacteriology) studying the early stages of root infection of clovers by Rhizobium bacteria while at Rothamsted Experimental Station. Employed by Ministry of Agriculture of Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland as a Pasture research officer (Plant Ecology). Worked at Department of Soil Microbiology, Rothamsted Experimental Station under supervision of Dr P.S.Nutman FRS. Appointed to Microbiology Department, Macaulay Institute for Soil Research, Head of Microbiology Department in 1976, retired 1991. Edited book Soil Protozoology (1994) CABI Press. Delivered an invited lecture at 50th meeting of British Society of Protist Biology at Strathclyde University, Glasgow in April 2012 entitled "Some possible future trends in Soil Protozoology". A new genus (Darbyshirella) of giant amoebae has been isolated from Scottish soil and elsewhere as described by Berney et al. (2015) Protist 166,291-296. The significance of these amoebae in soil ecology remains to be determined. Dr Darbyshire continues to research protozoa in the rhizosphere and on the root surface; recent videos of his work can be viewed on the Institute's YouTube channel.