Dr Claire Domoney awarded Royal Agricultural Society medal
Dr Claire Domoney has been awarded the Royal Agricultural Society of England Research Medal for her research in pea genetics.
The Research Medal is presented for work of outstanding merit carried out in the UK which promises benefit to agriculture.
Dr Domoney’s group studies how protein quality and associated seed traits in pea —the most widely grown grain legume in Europe— are controlled and could be altered for a variety of end-uses.
The balance of proteins determines the nutritional value of legume seeds for feed, food as well as more specific contributions to human health.
This research has considerable impact on industry. Studies in pea have helped breeders, growers and end-users to understand the genetic control of important traits including sugar, starch and protein concentration in seeds, as well as how visual characteristics such as colour are regulated. New gene variants are now available to control specific traits and improve breeding programmes.
Dr Domoney said: ‘It is a great honour indeed to be awarded the Royal Agricultural Society of England Research Medal 2015. I am delighted to receive this award, which acknowledges the relevance of the research carried out at JIC on legume crops and my engagement with the stakeholder community and UK agriculture. I thank all those who work with me within research networks to ensure knowledge transfer and the translation of research outcomes.’
Professor Dale Sanders, Director of the John Innes Centre, said: ‘Dr Domoney’s award from the Royal Agricultural Society is an extremely well-deserved recognition of the importance and impact of her work. The John Innes Centre prizes research which has a direct benefit for agriculture, and Dr Domoney’s work is exemplary. Her research on pea genetics has great potential for improving agriculture in Europe.’
