Projects per year
Personal profile
Administrative Posts
- Associate Dean for Enterprise and Engagement
- Norwich Research Park Professor for the Biosciences
Career
- Norwich Research Park Professor for Biosciences 2009-present
- Associate Dean for Enterprise and Engagement 2009-present
- Head of School, School of Biological Sciences, 2003- 2008
- External Fellow of the John Innes Centre, 2001- present
- Professor of Plant Science, School of Biological Sciences, UEA, 2001- present
- Reader in Biological Sciences, UEA; 2000
- Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences, UEA 1994-2000
- Lecturer in Biological Sciences, UEA,1976-1994
- PhD in Plant Pathology, University of Missouri, 1973-1976
- BSc Agricultural Botany, 1st Class Hons., University of Leeds,1968-1971; MSc in Pathology, University of Missouri, USA, 1971-1973
External Activities
- Easton College: Governor and member of the Corporation; Member of the Academic Curriculum Committee; Member of the Finance Committee
- John and Pamela Salter Charitable Trust: Trustee
- John Innes Centre: External Faculty Member
Key Research Interests
My research is devoted to discover mechanisms by which plants reduce the effects of environmental stress. In particular I am interested in the broad-spectrum defences used by plants to deter pests and pathogens. My current interest is to uncouple defence responses from growth inhibition- processes. It is generally accepted that plants face the dilemma to “grow or to defend”. For example, plants exposed to a variety of types of injury have activated defences, and they stop growing. At the other extreme, plants that grow to escape shading from neighbours have reduced capacity to defend. We also endeavour to use the knowledge gained from this work to enhance crop productivity. Our current work builds on previous work in which we have discovered the key regulators of jasmonate-induced defences. For this we made transgenic Arabidopsis lines containing luciferase as a reporter for the JA- and wound-inducible VSP promoter, mutagenised the seed, and selected the mutants, cev1-cev7 which had constitutive activation of the reporter, coi1 which failed to express the reporter, and sci1-sci5 that suppressed coi1. Characterisation of the genes defined by these mutants has identified key components of the JA signal-response pathway. We also identified a novel type of Resistance Gene, represented by RPW8.1 and RPW8.2, which confer resistance to a broad-spectrum of pathogens.
Life in our research group
At UEA I have supervised research projects carried out by postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, MSc students, technical staff and visitors continuously over the past 30 years or so, and it is a source of great pride for me to see that these researchers have gone on to positions of significant research leadership not only in the UK, but also in (alphabetical order) Algeria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, US, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. One of the reasons that these scientists have done so well is that my lab consistently attracts the very best students and researchers and consistently produces the very best research papers illustrating significant advances in knowledge. This is as true of the current cohort as it was of the very first. The secret? That is easy: excellent students and researchers, interesting and important research projects, excellent facilities, and a friendly and supportive working environment. I would like to say this is true of my lab only, but it is also true throughout the School. And this research excellence in depth in the School of Biological Sciences provides a vital, dynamic research environment that benefits everyone, but especially those in my group.PhD Positions
Please email me to discuss PhD opportunities and projects within the School of Biological SciencesPostdocs & Fellows
I am always happy to discuss possibilities for postdoctoral work and collaborations. Possible funding routes include applying for fellowships, e.g. EU Marie Curie fellowships, with me acting as sponsor, or grant applications with you as a named postdoc.Areas of Expertise
Plant molecular biology; plant pathology.
Projects
- 7 Finished
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Inhibition of root growth
John & Pamela Salter Charitable Trust (The)
1/10/09 → 30/09/13
Project: Research
-
A generic framework for computational modelling and analysis of regulatory gene networks
Kim, J. & Turner, J.
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
26/08/08 → 25/11/11
Project: Research
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Evolution of plant resistance to pathogens: natural variation in a resistence gene to Arabidopsis
Emerson, B. & Turner, J.
Natural Environment Research Council
26/08/05 → 25/08/07
Project: Research
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Characterisation of the systemic wound signal in Arabidopsis
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
1/11/04 → 22/06/08
Project: Research
Research output
- 56 Article
-
Summer drivers of atmospheric variability affecting ice shelf thinning in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica
Deb, P., Orr, A., Bromwich, D. H., Nicolas, J. P., Turner, J. & Hosking, J. S., 16 May 2018, In: Geophysical Research Letters. 45, 9, p. 4124-4133 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile25 Citations (Scopus)7 Downloads (Pure) -
An assessment of the Polar Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model representation of near-surface meteorological variables over West Antarctica
Deb, P., Orr, A., Hosking, J. S., Phillips, T., Turner, J., Bannister, D., Pope, J. O. & Colwell, S., 27 Feb 2016, In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 121, 4, p. 1532-1548 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
26 Citations (Scopus) -
Computational modeling of the regulatory network organizing the wound response in Arabidopsis thaliana
Kim, J., Camargo-Rodriguez, A., Devoto, A., Moulton, V. & Turner, J., 2012, In: Artificial Life. 18, 4, p. 445-460Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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COI1, a jasmonate receptor, is involved in ethylene-induced inhibition of Arabidopsis root growth in the light
Adams, E. & Turner, J., Jul 2010, In: Journal of Experimental Botany. 61, 15, p. 4373-4386 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
55 Citations (Scopus) -
Jasmonate and Phytochrome - A signaling in Arabidopsis wound and shade responses are integrated through JAZ1 stability
Robson, F., Okamoto, H., Patrick, E., Harris, S-R., Wasternack, C., Brearley, C. & Turner, J. G., Apr 2010, In: Plant Cell. 22, 4, p. 1143-1160 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
176 Citations (Scopus)