Get to know our students as they answer questions about their work and themselves.
What specific environmental challenges is your research aiming to address in the barley supply and value chain?
As climate change is causing unpredictable rainfall, drought, floods and changing sea levels, a global water crisis is gradually unfolding. The malting industry currently requires 4-5,000 liters of water to produce each ton of malt. My research aims to contribute to reducing the water footprint of malting by searching for barley varieties and genes that produce good quality malt using less water.
My project is titled, “Barley malting – a steep learning curve”; I’m based at the University of Nottingham and I’m working in partnership with Limagrain.
What have you found most rewarding about working within such a large collaborative partnership between academia and industry?
Knowing that my project was created in response to a genuine need in the industry is very motivating. My supervisors are all experts in the fields of malting and plant genetics/breeding, and they have united to develop this project from their different academic and industrial perspectives because they saw a gap in current knowledge. This means that my project could contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of the malting industry and barley breeding, which is exciting. The sense of community amongst everyone in the partnership is also really enriching; being able to talk through ideas with people working towards similar objectives is really useful and reduces any isolation that working on an individual project can sometimes cause.
How do you see your work contributing to broader environmental sustainability goals?
If I can identify areas of the barley genome that are responsible for rapid water uptake this could drastically reduce the amount of water needed in the malting industry. If successful, these environmentally friendly breakthroughs could inspire other industries to invest in sustainable practices that are less consuming of natural resources and are less damaging to the health of the planet.
Can you share any experiences or moments during your PhD that have been particularly memorable or inspiring?
I really enjoyed the industrial visits during summer school, especially the malting plant. It was memorable for me to see how passionate the maltsters were about their process and how proud they were to be using environmentally sustainable technology to produce malt of the best quality. I felt a sense of the “craft” of malting, that it isn’t just a process but a complex and variable labour (of love) that requires instincts and practical knowledge to treat each batch of barley correctly to be able to deliver a consistent product.
I really enjoyed the industrial visits during the Summer School, especially the malting plant… I felt a sense of the “craft” of malting, that it isn’t just a process but a complex and variable labour (of love)
In what ways do you believe diversity in research teams contributes to scientific innovation and problem-solving?
The expertise and ideas from people that have come from different departments, careers, backgrounds and countries has been invaluable to me during the time I have spent doing research. Talking to friends I have met during the PhD that think differently and have had alternative experiences to me has allowed me to find ways to overcome problems I believed I could not solve when I was working on them alone.
What advice would you give to prospective PhD students from underrepresented backgrounds who are considering a career in research?
I would encourage everyone to do a PhD because you can be part of a really diverse community where people are doing completely different things but there is so much common ground that you discuss about experimental processes, data analysis and general problem solving that you will never feel alone. Constantly reading papers from research groups all over the world is inspiring and shows me that research brings a vast mosaic of people together over the same subjects. Certain backgrounds are underrepresented because there are inequalities and prejudices in our society that we need to fight hard to overcome; I have found that research is a place where everyone is accepted and respected so my advice would be to follow your passions and try research to see if you enjoy it.
I have found that research is a place where everyone is accepted and respected
What are your career aspirations after completing your PhD, and how has BARIToNE helped shape those goals?
Before doing the PhD, I had plant breeding in mind as a possible career and I was hoping training during BARIToNE could give me skills and knowledge that would allow me to pursue that role. However, during my first year of the PhD I discovered the malting industry which really appeals to me as it combines plant science and industrial manufacturing. The challenge with malting is to produce a consistent malt when barley can be so variable depending on how the barley genotype has interacted with the growing conditions. I think plant breeding and malting are both fascinating careers and BARIToNE has allowed me insight, experience and time to explore both during my project.
What role do you see for yourself in advocating for equality, diversity, and inclusion in your future career?
Good representation and visibility for queer people and ethnic minorities in the plant breeding and malting industry is really important. Being able to express your identity takes a certain level of bravery that is easier if you see it done by other colleagues too. People may hold back from entering these careers because there is an employee “mold” that they don’t fit into. I would always want to be part of the momentum to empower and support people that come from unrepresented groups. I see myself advocating and protecting the rights and wellbeing of people from all communities. I am a part of the LGBTQ+ community and believe I could show visibility for LGBTQ+ individuals wanting to enter malting and plant breeding.
I am a part of the LGBTQ+ community and believe I could show visibility for LGBTQ+ individuals wanting to enter malting and plant breeding