We’re proud of the depth, breadth and quality of our research, and the award winners below are testament to the exceptional talent that our institute nurtures
‘Terrain Solutions’ – Your Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) 2024 champions
YES24 is an innovative competition that encourages an entrepreneurial culture in UK bioscience postgraduates and postdoctoral researchers.
Team ‘Terrain Solutions’, a hypothetical start-up company created by PhD students at the John Innes Centre, was crowned YES24 Overall Winner at The Royal Society, London in January 2025. The team also received:
• Best Sustainable Agriculture Business Plan – Sponsored by Syngenta
• Best Executive Summary – Sponsored by Reacta Healthcare
• People’s Choice Award – Sponsored by Indigo Business Services Ltd.
Dr Griffiths honoured by the Royal Agricultural Society of England
Dr Simon Griffiths, group leader and programme lead for the Delivering Sustainable Wheat Institute Strategic Programme (ISP), won the 2024 Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) award for Science and Technology. He was recognised for his unwavering support for crop breeders and farmers, and his outstanding contributions to the agricultural industry, including his work on the ancient Watkins wheat seed collection.
Delfi Dorussen presented with the IWGSC-Feuillet Early Career Award
Delfi Dorussen, a PhD student in the Borrill Group, received the IWGSC-Feuillet Early Career Award at the Plant & Animal Genome Conference in San Diego, USA in January 2025. She also presented her work at the conference, investigating the regulation of gene expression in wheat.
Professor Ellis awarded Mendel Memorial Medal
In March 2025, Professor Noel Ellis was awarded the Mendel Memorial Medal – a prestigious annual accolade given by the Mendelianum, part of the Moravian Museum in Brno. The medal is awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the scientific and cultural legacy of the ‘Father of Genetics’, Gregor Mendel. Noel is a senior affiliated scientist with a 36-year association with the John Innes Centre. He has contributed to a body of research in recent years which has cast new light on Mendel’s visionary career.
