NIAB has appointed Dr Eric Ober as a senior research scientist and crop physiologist.
Dr Ober will provide specialist technical expertise in crop physiology on NIAB’s research in genetics and breeding and to the crops and agronomy research and advisory teams.
“This is a position we have been keen to fill for some time and we’re delighted that Eric has joined us,” says Professor Andy Greenland, Director of Genetics and Breeding at NIAB. “His experience and knowledge in crop physiology and field phenotyping, particularly with respect to drought tolerance and water use efficiency in crops, will be a great asset to our research teams and to our wider farmer membership.
“Eric’s appointment is part of NIAB’s ongoing process to attract the very best in UK agriculture to NIAB as we aim to become an unrivalled source of research expertise and technical agronomy services.”
Dr Ober joins NIAB from Rothamsted Research where, as a senior research scientist, his interests focused on understanding the physiological limitations to yield formation and the adaptations of plants to drought, with an emphasis on wheat. He has also worked extensively on the role of drought-induced abscisic acid (ABA) in maize, and developed an O2 microsensor to study root tissue O2 relations.
Speaking about his appointment Dr Ober highlights the opportunities in joining NIAB with its wide-ranging crop research programmes including studies in genetic resources, agronomy, pre-breeding, crop genomics, wheat synthetics, association genetics, and plant pathology. “NIAB has a fantastic reputation for independence and innovation in applied science and agricultural research and I’m looking forward to being part of the team,” says Dr Ober.
Ends