News
Jade Bleau named a winner of Black in Plant Science Research Excellence Awards
Published on 19 April 2024
Jade Bleau, PhD, a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the School of Life Sciences and the James Hutton Institute has been named as a winner in this year’s Black in Plant Science Research Excellence Awards.
The award aims to promote early career Black or Black heritage researchers working with plants in UK institutions, who are currently involved in or have recently completed a significant research project. Evidence of commitment to a positive research culture and the development of the diversity and inclusion strategy within their research community will be recognized.
Jade said, “I am extremely grateful to have been awarded the Black in Plant Science Research Excellence Award. It’s great to be recognised by the network and have the opportunity to attend this year's International Conference on Arabidopsis Research. Being part of the Black in Plant Science committee and wider community is very rewarding and I am looking forward to helping it continue to connect, celebrate, and cultivate plant scientists of Black heritage across the UK.”
After finishing her BSc at the University of Leeds, Jade completed her MRes in Plant and Microbial Biology at the University of Sheffield (UK), working with the vegetable breeding company Enza Zaden (Netherlands). She completed her PhD at the University of Edinburgh and is currently at the University of Dundee, researching the molecular mechanisms behind plant-aphid interactions in the laboratory of Dr Jorunn Bos.
Jade is one of the founding members of Black Botanists Week, a campaign first organised in 2020 to promote, encourage, create a safe space for, and find more Black people who love plants across the globe. In partnership with Holden Arboretum the Black Botanist Week network produced a seminar series called Growing Black Roots: The Black Botanical Legacy which consists of eleven lectures, one of which is presented by Jade.
As well as this, Jade contributed significantly to the inception of the Black in Plant Science Network and continues to serve as a valued member of the committee.
Jade was jointly awarded this prize alongside Bernice Waweru, a PhD student at John Innes Centre (University of East Anglia).