Robert Wilson Jackson
Work Address: School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AJ, UK Tel: +44 118 3788892 Fax: +44 118 3786671 E-mail:
CURRENT POSITION
2013 – Associate Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Director of Enterprise, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading; Adjunct Professor, University of Akureyri. Area of Research Expertise: Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions focusing on pathogenic bacteria; plant growth promoting rhizobacteria including Pseudomonas and Rhizobium; bacteriophage and phage biopesticides; bacterial pathogens of insects. Sub-areas: Molecular microbiology, genomics, genetics and gene expression.
Full time education
2007-2009 PGCAP (Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice) University of Reading
1994-1997 PhD “Plasmids and virulence in Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola” funded by AFRC/BBSRC, supervised by Prof. Alan Vivian, awarded 9th March 1998. University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol
1991-1994 BSc (Hons) Applied Biological Sciences, Upper second, specialization in Biotechnology, UWE, Bristol
1989-1991 HND Applied Biology UWE, Bristol
Full time employment history
2006-2013 Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading
2004-2006 Leverhulme Research Officer, Dept. Biology & Biochemistry, University of Bath
2004 BBSRC Post-doctoral Research Associate, UWE, Bristol
2004 Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Dept. Plant Sciences, University of Oxford
2004 BSPP Fellow and Honorary appointment to University of Auckland, New Zealand
2001-2003 BBSRC Post-doctoral Research Assistant, Dept. Plant Sciences, University of Oxford including tutoring for several colleges (eg St Catherines, Wadham, Balliol)
1998-2000 BBSRC Post-doctoral Research Associate, UWE, Bristol
1994 Research assistant, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UWE, Bristol
1993/1994 Research assistant, Long Ashton Research Station, Bristol
GRANTS
2014 NERC Impact Accelerator grant £11,920
2014 NERC NBAF sequencing grant £5620
2013 Horticulture Development Company £75,000 PhD studentship
2013 British Council Lifelong Learning ERASMUS Intensive Program £58,000
2013 NERC Impact Accelerator grant £9970
2012 BBSRC grant £550k [with Dawn Arnold (PI, UWE) and Gail Preston (Oxford)]
2012 Commonwealth Scholarship Foundation £6333
2012 BayerCropScience £18,000
2011 Bartletts Tree Experts £9000, CASE studentship
2011 Industry funding from 3 companies Hypotech £8900
2011 Horticultural Development Company £66,150
2010 Leverhulme Trust £151,014
2010 University of Reading and Nottingham Food Security studentship £61,500
2010 University of Reading University Studentship/SCRI £61,500
2010 Lawes Trust £61,500
2010 NERC-CASE studentship £66,000
2009 Lawes Trust £60,000
2008 Commonwealth Scholarship Foundation £12,400
2007 Royal Society Project Grant £15,000
2007 Saudi Arabian Government £15,000
2007 Reading Endowment Trust Fund £42,000
MEMBERSHIP OF SOCIETIES AND POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY
In: Society for General Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology, The Genetics Society, British Society for Plant Pathology, International Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
2009- Supervisor of 13 PhD students (2007-current) and 3 on-time completions
2012- Senior Editor, Phytopathology journal
2011- Review Editor, Frontiers in Plant-Microbe Interactions journal
2011- Guest Editor, Genes journal
2011- Associate Editor, European Journal of Plant Pathology
2010 Co-organiser of Pseudomonas syringae and related pathovars international conference in Oxford University (generating £9k in sponsorship)
2010- Member of Advisory Committee for Postgraduate Student Recruitment, University of Reading; Member of sub-committee for Enterprise, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading
2010-2012 Elected member of the British Society for Plant Pathology board
2009 Guest Senior Editor, Molecular Plant Pathology journal
2007- Admissions Tutor for BSc Microbiology, University of Reading
2006- PhD Examinations (6 as Internal; 8 as External; 2 as overseas assessor)
2008-2011 Visiting lecturer on graduate courses at the Universities of Navarra and Malaga, Spain; undergraduate courses at UWE Bristol (2004-5)and University of Oxford (2002)
Publications (selection from 41 ARTICLES)
16. Licciardello, G., Jackson, R.W., Bella, P., Strano, C.P., Catara, A.F., Arnold, D.L., Venturi, V., Silby, M.W. and Catara, V. (2014) Draft genome sequence of Pseudomonas corrugata, a phytopathogenic bacterium with potential industrial applications. Journal of Biotechnology, In press.
15. Rhodes, G., Bosma, H., Studholme, D., Arnold, D.L., Jackson, R.W. and Pickup, R.W. (2014) The rulB gene of plasmid pWW0 is a hotspot for the site-specific insertion of integron-like elements found in the chromosomes of environmental Pseudomonas fluorescens group bacteria. Environmental Microbiology, In press.
15. Taylor, T.B., Johnson, L.J., Jackson, R.W., Brockhurst, M.B. and Dash, P.R. (2013) First steps in experimental cancer evolution. Evolutionary Applications 6: 535-548.
14. Kljujev, I., Raicevic, V., Andrews, S., Jackson, R., Lalevic, B. and Dorati, F. (2012) Transmission of E. coli from contaminated irrigation water and soil to plant tissue. Journal of Hygienic Engineering and Design 1: 83-87.
13. Haapalainen, M., Mosorin, H., Dorati, F., Wu, R.-F., Roine, E., Taira, S., Nissinen, R., Mattinen, L., Jackson, R., Pirhonen, M. and Lin, N.-C. (2012) Hcp2, a Secreted Protein of the Phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. Tomato DC3000, Is Required for Fitness for Competition against Bacteria and Yeasts. Journal of Bacteriology 194: 4810-4822.
12. Bardaji, L., Anorga, M., Jackson, R.W., Martinez-Bilbao, A., Yanguas, N. and Murillo, J. (2011) Miniature Transposable Sequences Are Frequently Mobilized in the Bacterial Plant Pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola. PLoS One, 6, e25773.
11. Jackson, R. W., Vinatzer, B., Arnold, D.L., Dorus, S. and Murillo, J. (2011) The influence of the accessory genome on bacterial pathogen evolution. Mobile Genetic Elements 1, 55-65.
10. Arnold, D.L and Jackson, R.W. (2011) Bacterial genomes: evolution of pathogenicity. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 14, 385-391.
9. Godfrey, S.A.C., Lovell, H.C., Mansfield, J.W., Corry, D.S., Jackson, R.W. and Arnold, D.L. (2011) The Stealth Episome: Suppression of Gene Expression on the Excised Genomic Island PPHGI-1 from Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola. PLoS Pathogens 7, e1002010.
8. Silby, M.W., Winstanley, C., Godfrey, S.A.C., Levy, S.B. and Jackson, R.W. (2011) Pseudomonas genomes: diverse and adaptable. FEMS Microbiology Reviews 35, 652-680.
7. Jackson, R.W., Johnson, L.J., Clarke, S.R. and Arnold, D.L. (2011) Bacterial pathogen evolution: breaking news. Trends in Genetics 27, 32-40.
6. Lovell, H.C., Jackson, R.W., Mansfield, J.W., Godfrey, S.A., Hancock, J.T., Desikan, R. and Arnold, D.L. (2010) In planta conditions induce genomic changes in Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola. Molecular Plant Pathology 12, 167-176.
5. Godfrey, S.A., Mansfield, J.W., Corry, D.S., Lovell, H.C., Jackson, R.W. and Arnold, D.L. (2010) Confocal Imaging of Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola Colony Development in Bean Reveals Reduced Multiplication of Strains Containing the Genomic Island PPHGI-1. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 23, 1294-302.
4. Green, S., Studholme, D.J., Laue, B.E., Dorati, F., Lovell, H., Arnold, D., Cottrell, J.E., Bridgett, S., Blaxter, M., Huitema, E., Thwaites, R., Sharp, P.M., Jackson, R.W. and Kamoun, S. (2010) Comparative genome analysis provides insights into the evolution and adaptation of Pseudomonas syringae pv. aesculi on Aesculus hippocastanum. PLoS One 5, e10224.
3. Lovell, H.C., Mansfield, J.W., Godfrey, S.A.C., Jackson, R.W., Hancock, J.T. and Arnold, D.L. (2009) Bacterial Evolution by Genomic Island Transfer Occurs via DNA Transformation In Planta. Current Biology 19, 1586-1590.
2. Aslam, S.N., Newman, M-A., Erbs, G., Morrissey, K.L., Chinchilla, D., Boller, T., Jensen, T.T., De Castro, C., Ierano, T., Molinaro, A., Jackson, R.W., Knight, M.R. and Cooper, R.M. (2008) Bacterial polysaccharides suppress induced innate immunity by calcium chelation. Current Biology 18, 1078-1083.
1. Giddens, S.R. Jackson, R.W., Moon, C.D., Gehrig, S., Zhang, X-X. and Rainey, P.B. (2007) Mutational activation of niche specific genes provides insights into regulatory networks and bacterial function in a complex environment. PNAS 104, 18247-252.