description
- The world's population is ever-expanding and it is estimated that the global population will reach 9 billion by the year 2050. As a consequence, global food production needs to increase year on year in order to meet rising demand. So far, we are matching global food demand with more efficient farming techniques, high yield crops and modern pesticides. However, there are a number of significant threats to global food security that include: water crises, political instability, climate change and, the focus of this project, plant pathogens. Pests and pathogens are one of the greatest threats to food security, with fungi responsible for the loss of more than 125 million tons of crops each year. One particular fungus, the blast fungus, is responsible for significant losses of rice and wheat. Given the fungus' ability to cause massive losses, infect multiple crops and rapidly switch hosts, it is widely regarded as the most important fungal plant pathogen and a major focus for scientific research. To protect crops, we need to understand how this pathogen causes disease and identify the key genes that will act as targets for new fungicides that will protect crops and improve global food security. Recent advances in the collection of biological data mean that we have an abundance of gene sequences and information about when genes are turned on and off for the blast fungus. However, we lack the computational tools needed to analyse these data and enable greater understanding of how the fungus causes disease. In my research, I will develop new computational tools to take advantage of the abundance of biological data, understand how the blast fungus causes disease and identify genes that may act as targets for new fungicides. Importantly, this proposal will leave a legacy of new computational tools that can be applied to many pathogens that impact food security, human health and the economy.