Dr. Christine Faulkner awarded Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council

The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded JIC Project Leader Dr Christine Faulkner a Consolidator Grant to carry out research on cell communication in plant immunity.

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 funding scheme is among the most highly coveted sources of funding in Europe, and potential recipients must submit a research proposal of the highest standard. The ERC only considers researchers with an exceptional track record for their career stage.

Dr Faulkner's research addresses how plant cells communicate and co-ordinate their responses to pathogen threats with the ultimate aim of understanding how defence signals triggered by single cells are transmitted through whole plants.

Dr Faulkner said:

"It's very exciting to launch a new project with support from the European Research Council. This grant will enable us to perform research on a large scale and will identify new elements of how the plant immune system operates across whole plants. I'm very pleased to have this opportunity and can't wait to get the project started."

Provided by John Innes Centre