Melissa Brazier-hicks

Biography

I am a Senior Research Associate in the Crop Protection Group headed by Professor Robert Edwards in the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development at Newcastle University, UK. I graduated with an honours degree in Biochemistry from Cardiff University, then obtained a PhD, in Plant Biochemistry, from Durham University, UK. I have held Post-doctoral research positions at Durham University and the University of York, which have enabled me to pursue my interests in plant secondary metabolism and in particular, how plants respond to and detoxify xenobiotic compounds such as herbicides. My current project at Newcastle University involves investigating the basis of herbicide selectivity in crops and competing weeds. Roles and responsibilities Lab manager for the Crop Protection Group headed by Professor Robert Edwards GM representative on AFRD's Health and Safety Committee RA representative on AFRD's Athena SWAN Committee Active member of AFRD's Research Associates Group.

Research Interest

Herbicide selectivity in cereals and competing weeds Selective herbicides enable the control of weeds without causing damage to the associated crop. Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) are responsible for determining the metabolism and hence selectivity of many of the world’s most important herbicides. CYPs belong to a large gene family and little is known about which are the key CYPs involved in the metabolism of herbicides. In a collaboration with Syngenta, the aim is to initiate an assay and expression platform capability around CYPs from crops and competing weeds, leading to insights into their role in herbicide selectivity and resistance.