People

Professor Ian Bancroft

CNAP Chair of Plant Genomics

• Genome evolution
• Food security
• Industrial biotechnology

ian.bancroft@york.ac.uk

Professor Neil Bruce

CNAP Director and Chair in Biotechnology

• Environmental biotechnology
• Biocatalysis
• Biorefining

neil.bruce@york.ac.uk 

Professor Katherine Denby (Director)

Professor of Sustainable Crop Production

• Plant biology
• Food security 
• Agricultural biotechnology

katherine.denby@york.ac.uk 

Professor Ian Graham FRS

Academic Director of BioYorkshire, and Weston Chair of Biochemical Genetics

• Plant biology
• Biochemical genetics
• Agricultural biotechnology
• Medicinal crops
• Synthetic biology

ian.graham@york.ac.uk

Dr Leonardo Gomez 

• Plant biology
• Biorefining
• Industrial biotechnology
• Seaweed valorisation

leonardo.gomez@york.ac.uk 

Dr Andrea Harper

• Plant biology
• Food security 
• Agricultural biotechnology

Dr Benjamin R. Lichman

• Synthetic biology platforms for natural product production
• Industrial biocatalysis
• Enzyme mechanism
• The formation of metabolic gene clusters 

Professor Luke Mackinder 

CNAP Chair in Algal Cell and Molecular Biology

• Carbon fixation in algae and cyanobacteria
• Systems and synthetic biology 

luke.mackinder@york.ac.uk

Dr Liz Rylott

• Plant biology
• Industrial biotechnology
• Plant-based environmental remediation
• Agromining

liz.rylott@york.ac.uk 

Dr Federico Sabbadin

• Biorefining
• Food security
• Enzymology

federico.sabbadin@york.ac.uk 

Dr Thierry Tonon

CNAP ART Lecturer in Algal Biology

• Algal physiology and metabolism
• Algal metabolic pathways and enzymes
• Biotechnological applications of algae and algal genes
• Valorisation of seaweed biomass 

thierry.tonon@york.ac.uk

Dr Charlotte Walker

• Algal biology
• Algal carbon fixation and biomineralisation
• Synthetic biology

charlotte.walker@york.ac.uk 

Erin Gray

Research Administrator

Judith Mitchell

Senior Research Administrator