Gary Foster

Biography

Gary Foster graduated in Microbiology from the Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) in 1986 and received his PhD in Plant Virology in 1990 from QUB (with Prof Peter Mills). After a short period of postdoctoral research at University of Leicester with Prof Rod Scott & Prof John Draper, he was awarded an AFRC (to become BBSRC) Advance Research Fellowship in 1992. In 1996, he moved to the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol, becoming Professor of Molecular Plant Pathology. Gary is currently Lead Academic for New Life Sciences Building, a major new start-of-the-art building and facility for life sciences, due for completion in 2013. He had previously held senior roles within the University as Chair of Science Faculty FQAT (Faculty Quality Assurance Team), Head of Teaching Biological Sciences, Member of Senior Management Team (Planning & Resources Committee) and Member/Chair of University Student Appeal Review Panel. Gary’s research is focused on investigating a range of interconnecting themes that include plant virology, plant pathology, plant molecular biology, molecular mycology and biotechnology. The interdisciplinary approach to this research is one of the strong selling points, along with a vibrant lab community and the strong supervisory team, which has been supported by a range of funding sources continuously since 1992. This has included funding from the BBSRC, DEFRA, LESARS, Royal Society, the Wellcome Trust, DfID/ODA, Rothamsted International, and collaborative funding with agricultural industries and institutes, such CSL-York, HRI-Wellesbourne, RHS-Wisley, PBI-Unilever. Funding has also come from international partnerships and collaboration that have created research links/interchanges and visitors to the research group. The molecular mycology and biotechnology areas have also covered projects on drug discovery and manipulation including a major collaboration with GSK on antibiotic discovery and development. Specialties: Served as member of BBSRC Grant Committee and Network Groups, Member of Review Panel of BBSRC Molecular basis of plant disease programme, Member of BBSRC RAE Institute Assessment Exercise. Member of Enterprise-Ireland Grant Board, Chair of the Panel for Science & Technology R&D in Ireland, Commonwealth Studentship & Fellowship Panel. Chair of subgroup of International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, FAO/IPGRI guidelines safe movement of germplasm, & ACNFP GM adviser Food Standards Agency.

Research Interest

Professor of Molecular Plant Pathology