Dr John Love
Associate Professor in Plant & Industrial Biotechnology

Profile

I am an Associate Professor in Plant and Industrial Biotechnology. I joined the University of Exeter in 2003. I am the director of the Exeter Microbial Biofuels Group and lead an innovative research programme into plant cell signalling and bioenergy that employs a multidisciplinary combination of high throughput molecular biology, cellular imaging, biochemistry, bioinfomatics and synthetic biology.

In 2011/12 I held a BBSRC Industry Interchange Partnership with Shell Research UK where I was project manager for the photosynthetic microbial biofuels research programme at Shell Technology Centre Thornton.

Prior to Exeter I held a Broodbank Research Fellowship at the University of Cambridge, where I demonstrated a role for calcium-mediated signals in the perception of seasonality in flowering plants. I was a postdoctoral research associate at North Carolina State University, working closely with NASA scientists to understand the effects of microgravity on plant root growth; this experience brought me into contact with specialists from many different areas, and this multidisciplinary approach to solving problems has become a driver for my research.

My PhD was spent divided between laboratories at the University of Edinburgh and the Marine Biological Association, investigating the development of the early embryo in brown algae. This passion for primitive plants is the foundation of my interest in microalgae as an alternative energy source. I obtained my B.Sc. in Biology from the University of St Andrews.

In 2011, I won the “Smart Solutions Excellence with Impact Award for Outstanding Impact in Science and Technology R&D” for research into innovative optics for flat-panel photobioreactors in collaboration with Enlightened Designs Ltd. and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

Qualifications

1991-1994 PhD Cell & Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh
1986-1990 BSc Biological Sciences, University of St Andrews

Career

2011-present Associate Professor in Plant and Industrial Biotechnology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter
2007-2011 Senior Lecturer in Plant Molecular Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter
2003-2007 Lecturer in Developmental Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter
2001-2003 Independent Broodbank Research Fellow, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge
1996-2001 Postdoctoral Research Associate, NASA Specialized Center for Research & Training, North Carolina State University
1995-1996 Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Institute of Cell & Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh

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