Alison Mary Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alison Smith
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Smith in 2016
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| Born | 1954 (age 70–71) |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge (PhD) |
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| Thesis | Effect of anaerobiosis on plant metabolism (1978) |
Alison Mary Smith (born in 1954) is a British scientist who studies plants. She works as a leader at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK. She is also a special professor at the University of East Anglia (UEA).
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Her Studies and Learning
Alison Smith went to the University of Cambridge for her education. In 1978, she earned her PhD degree there. Her research was about how plants use energy when they don't have much oxygen.
What She Researches
Alison Smith studies how plants use starch and sucrose. These are types of carbohydrates. Plants make them during photosynthesis, which is how they turn sunlight into food. Starch and sucrose are like the fuel that helps plants grow.
Her work has shown how plants make and break down starch. Starch is stored in tiny parts called granules. She found that plants control these processes very carefully. This control happens over the day and night. It is linked to the plant's internal circadian clock. This makes sure plants have enough energy to grow even when it's dark.
Now, she focuses on how plants control this energy use. She also looks at how the amount of carbohydrates affects plant growth. She uses what she learns from her basic studies to help understand starch in crop plants.
Her current research looks at how starch is made in cereal grains. This could help farmers grow more food. It could also change how flour works and how healthy it is. Her lab also studies the genetic and biochemical ways plants control starch. This includes how starch is broken down in leaves and storage parts. They also study how this is connected to plant growth and sprouting.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Alison Smith received a special award called an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2006. This was for her important work in plant biochemistry. In 2016, she was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honour for scientists in the UK.
About Her Family
Alison Smith's father was Ted Smith. He was a pioneer in conservation, which means protecting nature. Her sister, Dr Helen Smith, is an arachnologist, who studies spiders.
