Eleftheria Stavridou is a dedicated researcher focused on enhancing abiotic stress tolerance and nutrient use efficiency in horticultural crops through precision agriculture technologies, nutrient modelling, and integrated crop management strategies. Her research aims to deepen our understanding of mineral nutrient dynamics within agriculture and food systems, with the goal of improving sustainability and productivity. Eleftheria's work also utilises advanced physiological and molecular tools, along with interdisciplinary collaborations, to develop innovative solutions that optimise resource use and improve crop resilience.
A key focus of Eleftheria's research is improving the nutritional quality of crops for human diets. This includes manipulating nutrient supply to enhance secondary plant compounds in fruits and vegetables. She also investigates how food supply chains can become more nutrient-focused to improve food security while meeting sustainability and net-zero goals.
Her interdisciplinary collaborations span soil and crop science, human nutrition, and social sciences, bridging these fields to advance innovative solutions for agriculture and food systems. Through her research, Eleftheria contributes to advancing sustainable agriculture, strengthening food security, and addressing global challenges in nutrition and health.
Outside her professional pursuits, Eleftheria enjoys seaglass and fossil hunting, as well as gardening, reflecting her passion for nature and sustainability
Research projects
SNAP - Sustainable Nitrogen Application Project (PI)
Duration: February 2025 – January 2027
Partners: Outfield Technologies LTD, H.L. Hutchinson Limited, Orion Future Technology Limited
Funder: Innovate UK (10137921)
TCEA N-demand: Optimising nitrogen and CO2 inputs to improve assimilation and yields in TCEA strawberry production (CoI)
Duration: January 2025 – December 2027
Partners: Innophyte Consulting Ltd, Flex Farming Limited, Matrex Ltd
Funder: Innovate UK (10134099)
Resilience in Agrifood Systems: Supply Chain Configuration Analytics Lab (RASCAL) (PI)
Duration: September 2024 – August 2027
Partners: University of Cambridge, University of Plymouth, Queen’s University Belfast
Funder: UKRI (BB/Z516703/1)
How can fruits and vegetables supply chains become more nutrient-focused in order to improve UK nutritional security while meeting net zero targets? (PI)
Duration: October 2023 - November 2027
UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources
UKFS CDT-UKRI/BBSRC (BB/V011391/1 - 2894934)
Maximising nutritional value in young brassicas with distributed intelligent growing systems (PI)
Duration: May 2022 – February 2024
Partner: Evogro Ltd
Funder: Growing Kent & Medway
Increasing ascorbic acid and iron levels in tomatoes to enhance human nutrition and plant abiotic stress tolerance (PI)
Duration: May 2022 – November 2024
Partner: Thanet Earth Limited
Funder: Growing Kent & Medway
Production at the point of consumption: a distributed network of intelligent growing systems for foodservice operators and consumers (PI)
Duration: August 2020 -March 2023
Partners: Evogro Ltd, Therefore Ltd
Funder: Innovate UK (50167)
PhD: Achieving micronutrient security in a post pandemic and post EU-exit world – “Parsnips as a superfood” (CoI)
September 2021 -September 2025
University of Southampton
SocoBio DTP-UKRI/BBSRC (BB/T008768/1 - 2597127)
PhD: Environmental and intra/interspecific approaches to nutrient security - Fruit for the UK's food security (PI)
October 2020 -September 2024
University of Southampton
SocoBio DTP-UKRI/BBSRC (BB/T008768/1 - 2441797 )
PhD: Improving the nutritional quality of indigenous vegetable crops under climate change (PI)
September 2019 -September 2023
University of Nottingham, Rothamsted Research
BBDTP-UKRI/BBSRC (BB/M008770/1 - 2271009)
Integrating nutrient demand models and AI-based sensors with precision-dosing rigs to improve resource use and productivity, and reduce waste and emissions in commercial raspberry production (CoI)
Duration: August 2020 – February 2023
Partners: Netafim UK Limited, Berry Gardens Growers Limited, Edt Direct Ion Limited
Funder: Innovate UK (51135)
SASSA-SAI - Improving production efficiency of African Eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum) for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (CoI)
Duration: Jul 2018-Jun 2022
Partners: World Agroforestry Centre, Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute- Mikocheni, World Vegetable Center, Uganda Christian University
Funder: BBSRC (BB/R020655/1)
VisionDSS: a low cost portable imaging solution to improve quality, increase productivity and reduce storage losses of premium apple varieties (PI)
Duration: March 2018- May 2021
Partners: Worldwide Fruit Ltd, Intelligent Fruit Vision Limited, T & G Group Limited, Fruition Po Limited
Funder: Innovate UK (103842)
Developing resource-use efficient strawberries for substrate production (CoI)
Duration: April 2015-March 2019
Partners: East Malling Services Ltd, Agrovista UK Limited, CPM (Retail) Limited, Botanicoir Limited, Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd, NIAB
Funder: Innovate UK (101914)
FERTINNOWA: Transfer of INNOvative techniques for sustainable WAter use in FERtigated crops (CoI)
Duration: January 2016- December 2018
Partners: Proefstation Voor De Groenteteelt(lead), NIAB, Association Provencale De Recherche Et D'experimentation Legumiere, Centro Di Sperimentazione Ed Assistenza Agricola, Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO, Stichting Proeftuin Zwaagdijk, Instituto Andaluz de Investigaciony Formacion Agraria Pesquera Alimentaria y de la Produccion Ecologica, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.V., Centrum Doradztwa Rolniczego W Brwinowie, Instytut Ogrodnictwa, Universidad de Almeria, The Agriculture And Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), Fundacion Cajamar, Centro de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnologicas de Extremadura, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias, Instituto Navarro de Tecnologias e Infraestructuras Agroalimentarias SA, PRIVA BV, Comite d’Action Technique et Economique, Kmetijsko Gozdarska Zbornika Slovenije Kmetijsko Gozdarski Zavod Maribor, Provinciaal Proefcentrum Voor de Groenteteelt Oost-Vlaanderen VZW, Proefcentrum Hoogstraten, Optima Agrik Pty Ltd, Stichting Wageningen Research
Funder: Horizon 2020 (689687)
Recent publications
David-Rogeat, N., Broadley, M. R., & Stavridou, E. (2024). Drought and heatwave affected the African eggplant differently when present in combination than individually. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 220, 105670.
David-Rogeat, N., Broadley, M. R., & Stavridou, E. (2024). Heat and salinity stress on the African eggplant F1 Djamba, a Kumba cultivar. Frontiers in Plant Science, 15, 1323665.
Xu, X., Minja, R., Kizito, E. B., Dinssa, F., Deakin, G., Kabod, P. N., ... & Bishop, G. J. (2024). Amplicon sequencing identified a putative pathogen, Macrophomina phaseolina, causing wilt in African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum) grown in Tanzania and Uganda. Frontiers in Agronomy, 5, 1300324.
Xu, X., Dinssa, F. F., Minja, R., Mwaijande, V., Mbwambo, O., Mziray, Z., ... & Bishop, G. J. (2023). Effects of transplanting and AMF inoculation on the fruit yield of African eggplants (Solanum aethiopicum and Solanum anguivi) in Tanzania. Frontiers in Agronomy, 5, 1300553.
David-Rogeat, N., Broadley, M. R., & Stavridou, E. (2023). Solanum crops with a focus on the African eggplant: the potential of biostimulants to enhance stress tolerance. International Journal of Plant & Soil Science, 35(18), 1425-1451.
Cockerton, H. M., Karlström, A., Johnson, A. W., Li, B., Stavridou, E., Hopson, K. J., ... & Harrison, R. J. (2021). Genomic informed breeding strategies for strawberry yield and fruit quality traits. Frontiers in Plant Science, 2102.