We study fungal evolutionary biology - understanding how fungal pathogens adapt to the genetic and spatial population structure of their plant hosts - to secure plant health and resilience in both horticultural and natural landscapes.

Our work involves a wide range of expertise: monitoring latent pathogen threats across RBGE's Botanic Gardens and closing down points of risk, responding to pathogen outbreaks with our statutory partners, developing risk-based diagnostics to allow continuity of RBGE's plant conservation programmes, and changing our horticultural practice to accommodate our expanding knowledge in the evolutionary dynamics of pathogen-host systems.

Key contact: Dr Katy Hayden