Cristobal Uauy's Biography

Cristobal Uauy, Senior Scientist, The John Innes Centre

Cristobal Uauy is a Project Leader at the John Innes Centre and is a Visiting Scholar at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany in Cambridge. He studied Agronomy in Chile (2001) and holds a PhD in Genetics from the University of California, Davis (2007). His work on wheat senescence and nutritional value was recognized as the most outstanding PhD dissertation in Biological and Life Sciences in the US and Canada (2006-07). Recently, he was part of a team responsible for the identification of a gene conferring partial resistance to yellow rust, an important first step to develop long-term strategies for durable disease resistance. Both these studies were published in Science and recognized through the Bayer Foundation Early Excellence in Science Award (2011).
His programme in the UK is strongly focused on the identification of genes involved in wheat productivity. This will include identifying genes controlling pre-harvest sprouting and grain size and shape characteristics to improve yield. His group is also using new DNA sequencing technology to access current and historical collections of the yellow rust pathogen to understand how it has evolved and to look at wheat genes best able to resist the pathogen in the future. Cristobal is using molecular genetic approaches to identify these genes and enhance the pipeline to translate new knowledge at the molecular level into improved wheat varieties for growers, industry and consumers.