image: The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded new John Innes Centre (JIC) Project Leader Professor Daniel Zilberman a Consolidator Grant to carry out his chosen research at JIC. view more
Credit: Professor Daniel Zilberman
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded new John Innes Centre (JIC) Project Leader Professor Daniel Zilberman a Consolidator Grant to carry out his chosen research at JIC.
The ERC Consolidator Grants support early/mid-career scientists to establish their scientific independence by providing the necessary resources to form a team of scientists and students within a host institute.
The ERC grants are one of the top funding schemes available to researchers in Europe, and recipients must have an exceptional track record for their career stage. The ERC only considers world-class researchers who submit a research proposal of the highest standard.
Prof Zilberman joins the John Innes Centre from the University of California, Berkeley. His team will study how information that is not encoded in the primary sequence of the DNA molecule, known as epigenetic information, is passed across generations through a chemical modification of DNA called methylation. Faithful inheritance of DNA methylation is required for proper development of plants and animals, and disruption of methylation patterns causes human disease and reduced crop yields. Understanding of this process is therefore crucial for improving human health and nutrition.
Prof Zilbermann said:
"I am delighted to receive a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council. This award will enable my research team to pursue blue skies but potentially transformative research aimed to understand how epigenetic information is accurately transmitted across plant generations."
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Notes to editor
1. For further information about ERC Consolidator Grants please go to: https://erc.europa.eu/funding-and-grants/funding-schemes/consolidator-grants
2. An image of Professor Zilberman can be downloaded from: http://bit.ly/2hS0mqA
3. About the John Innes Centre
The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant science and microbiology. Our mission is to generate knowledge of plants and microbes through innovative research, to train scientists for the future, to apply our knowledge of nature's diversity to benefit agriculture, the environment, human health and wellbeing, and engage with policy makers and the public.
To achieve these goals we establish pioneering long-term research objectives in plant and microbial science, with a focus on genetics. These objectives include promoting the translation of research through partnerships to develop improved crops and to make new products from microbes and plants for human health and other applications. We also create new approaches, technologies and resources that enable research advances and help industry to make new products. The knowledge, resources and trained researchers we generate help global societies address important challenges including providing sufficient and affordable food, making new products for human health and industrial applications, and developing sustainable bio-based manufacturing.
This provides a fertile environment for training the next generation of plant and microbial scientists, many of whom go on to careers in industry and academia, around the world.
The John Innes Centre is strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). In 2015-2016 the John Innes Centre received a total of £30.1 million from the BBSRC.
The John Innes Centre is also supported by the John Innes Foundation through provision of research accommodation and long term support of the Rotation PhD programme.
The John Innes Centre is the winner of the BBSRC's 2013 - 2016 Excellence With Impact award.