Nick Talbot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nick Talbot
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![]() Nick Talbot at the Royal Society admissions day in London, July 2014
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Born |
Nicholas José Talbot
5 September 1965 Haslemere, Surrey, England
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Nationality | British |
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Known for | Research on Magnaporthe grisea |
Spouse(s) | Catherine Ann Walsh |
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Scientific career | |
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Thesis | Genetic and genomic analysis of Cladosporuim fulvum (syn. Fulvia fulva) (1990) |
Nicholas José Talbot, born on September 5, 1965, is a very important scientist. He leads a research group and is the Executive Director at The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich. He is known for his amazing work studying how tiny fungi cause diseases in plants.
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Learning and Early Career
Nicholas Talbot went to Midhurst Grammar School when he was younger. After that, he studied at the University of Wales, Swansea. He earned a degree in Microbiology in 1986. Microbiology is the study of very tiny living things, like bacteria and fungi.
He then continued his studies at the University of East Anglia. In 1990, he earned his PhD. His research focused on the genes of a plant disease called Cladosporuim fulvum, which causes leaf mold.
Working as a Scientist
After finishing his PhD, Dr. Talbot worked as a researcher at Purdue University from 1990 to 1993. In 1993, he became a Lecturer at the University of Exeter. He worked his way up and became a Professor of Molecular Genetics in 1999.
In 2010, he took on a big role as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research. This meant he helped manage all the research happening at the university. In 2018, Dr. Talbot moved to The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich. There, he became a Group Leader and the Executive Director.
Important Research Discoveries
Dr. Talbot's research focuses on how plants get sick. He especially studies a fungus called Magnaporthe grisea. This fungus causes a disease called rice blast, which is one of the worst diseases for rice plants around the world. Rice blast can destroy entire rice crops.
His work helps us understand how fungi attack plants and how plants try to fight back. He has also edited books about fungi and how plants and diseases interact.
Dr. Talbot's research has received funding from important science groups. He has also won special grants from the European Research Council in 2013 and 2022. These grants help him continue his important work. His current project, SEPBLAST, looks at special proteins in fungi called septins. He found that these septins are key for the rice blast fungus to cause disease. Understanding this could help scientists find ways to protect rice crops.
Awards and Special Recognition
Dr. Talbot has received many awards for his scientific work. In 2010, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. This is a special honor for top biologists. In 2013, he became a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization.
In 2014, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is one of the highest honors a scientist can receive in the UK. He was recognized for his discoveries about how fungi make plants sick. His work showed how fungi change their cells to invade healthy plants. He uses many different methods, like studying genes and cells, to understand these processes.
Personal Life
Nicholas Talbot is married to Catherine Ann Walsh. They have two sons and one daughter.