Susan E Seal

Biography

After obtaining a BSc Honours Microbiology degree in 1984 from Imperial College (London, UK), Professor Susan Seal gained a preliminary training in molecular biology at Genentech Inc. (San Francisco, USA) carrying out research on an auto-immune disease. Further research experience in molecular biology was acquired through PhD studies at the University of Bath on identifying pathogenicity genes in the plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria. During this time she decided on a career in research to benefit agriculture in developing countries and obtained scholarship funding to do fieldwork in Indonesia, and then worked as a postdoctoral scientist at The Sainsbury Laboratory, John Innes Centre developing DNA-based diagnostic tests for Ralstonia solanacearum, one of the most important tropical plant pathogens. Several tests were developed and Professor Seal was employed by NRI in 1992 to transfer these tests to a range of overseas countries and develop new molecular diagnostic projects. Since joining NRI, Professor Seal has overseen the molecular diagnostic laboratories at NRI, as well as establishing molecular-diagnostics laboratories in developing countries, and teaching MSc courses ('Molecular diagnostics', 'Plant pathology', 'Organisms and Systematics' and 'GM Crops'). In 2009, she became Leader of the Molecular Virology and Entomology Research Group at NRI, which focuses on applied as well as strategic research for controlling pests and diseases of tropical food crops especially those caused by viruses and insect vectors on cassava, sweet potato, yams and vegetables. These root and tuber crops play key roles in food security, poverty reduction, and income generation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Professor Seal has led ~50 research projects at NRI (total value ~£5 million)

Research Interest

Current research interests focus on using molecular biology tools to generate an improved understanding of the factors contributing to the spread of cassava and yam disease epidemics in Africa and developing novel technologies for their control. The research ranges from using the latest next generation sequencing technologies to determine genome and transcriptome data for the vector (Bemisia tabaci) of the cassava viruses, to developing robust, low-cost diagnostic technologies for such plant viruses and specific populations of their vectors which appear to be driving the spread of epidemics.