University of Oxford

Post-Doc, Materials

EPSRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Trinity College

About

My interdisciplinary research illustrates how a physical science technique can be used to solve key biological problems with a particular focus on plant science and nutrition.

Trace metals are very important in the human diet with both beneficial and toxic effects but are very difficult to detect and localise in biological materials. My research mainly concentrates on arsenic, a carcinogenic and toxic element. Natural contamination of drinking water with arsenic in areas such as Bangladesh has been described as ‘the largest mass poisoning of a population in history’, with millions of people affected. Rice is one of the main foods in these arsenic-epidemic areas and irrigation with contaminated water has resulted in rice with elevated levels of arsenic. I am using ultra-high resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) to map the distribution of arsenic in various parts of the rice plant (roots, leaves, stem and grain) to determine how arsenic is taken up through the plant with the aim that this information will help to plan strategies to minimise the concentration of arsenic in the grain and therefore lower human consumption of this harmful element.

Other aspects of my work involve using the NanoSIMS to investigate iron distributions in wheat grain and also to determine how the application and timing of nitrogen fertilisers to wheat fields can increase the amount and quality of protein in wheat grain. This has important implications for the processing of flour to make better quality and more nutritious bread and to increase the efficiency of expensive nitrogen fertilisers.

October 2011 - Present
"Analysis at the nanoscale: addressing key problems in plant sciences with advanced analytical techniques"
EPSRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Materials, University of Oxford

October 2011 - Present
Junior Research Fellow at Trinity College Oxford

April 2011 - September 2011
Research Assistant in SIMS Analysis
Department of Materials, University of Oxford

October 2007 - March 2011
High Resolution Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Trace Elements in Cereal Grains and Roots
DPhil Project (PhD)
Department of Materials, University of Oxford
Supervised by: Prof. C. R. M. Grovenor

September 2006-June 2007
Pitting Corrosion of Spray-Formed Aluminium Aerospace Alloys
Part II project (Master's year)
Department of Materials, University of Oxford
Supervised by: Dr. J. M. Sykes and Prof. P. S. Grant

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