Dr Katherine Stewart

Areas of expertise

• Plants and microbes

Background

Katherine holds a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences and an MSc in Plant Genetics and Crop Improvement from the University of East Anglia. Before beginning her doctoral training, she gained hands‑on research experience at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, where her master’s project focused on developing a reporter system in nitrogen‑fixing bacteria to investigate their colonisation of wheat roots and patterns of nitrogen‑fixation activity. She subsequently continued this work as a funded research assistant, strengthening her expertise in experimental design, microscopy‑based imaging, data generation, and collaborative research.

She later pursued a PhD at Niab East Malling, registered through Cranfield University’s Environment and Agrifood department via the Collaborative Training Partnership for Fruit Crop Research (CTP FCR). Her doctoral research investigated the sexual reproduction of the apple scab pathogen Venturia inaequalis, focusing on the dynamics of ascospore production to support improved disease management strategies. This work combined molecular biology, sequencing, microscopy and bioinformatics to characterise mating processes, reproductive timelines, virulence-associated traits, and the factors influencing ascospore development. For this she received the 2025 Worshipful Company of Fruiterers David Hohnen Prize.

This PhD project provided extensive training in molecular biology, genetics, pathogen biology, and data analysis, while also developing strong skills in project management, organisation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

She is now a Post‑Doctoral Research Fellow, building on this foundation to advance research in plant molecular genetics and crop improvement, with a particular interest in integrating molecular, genetic, and phenotypic data to support innovation in breeding and applied crop research.

Publications

• Articles in journals