| We warmly invite you to attend the Imperial Fungal Science Network – Seminar – Keynote by Prof. Sophien Kamoun on
🗓️ Thursday 3 July, 15:30 – 16:30 📍 G47 Flowers Building, South Kensington Campus, Armstrong Road, London SW7 2AZ No registration required Click here – to see full event information In-person (walk in; refreshments from 3pm) or online (via Teams; see live link above) The programme explores host-pathogen interactions and we welcome speakers from across our fungal research themes. |
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| Prof. Sophien Kamoun (The Sainsbury Laboratory) Think. Evolutionary. Transitions. In recent years, my lab — or perhaps it’s just me — has become increasingly obsessed with evolutionary transitions: the idea that every gene has an origin and an evolutionary journey marked by gain, loss, or shifts in function. In this talk, I will explore how this perspective applies to the study of filamentous plant pathogens — fungi and oomycetes. Though phylogenetically distant, they share striking similarities in morphology and lifestyle: both are filamentous, heterotrophic, and notoriously adaptable. Their ability to evade plant immunity and shift hosts makes them ideal models for studying the evolutionary arms race between pathogens and plants. I’ll also highlight how plant-pathogen coevolution has shaped — and continues to reshape —mechanisms of plant immunity.Bio Sophien Kamoun grew up in Tunisia where he developed a passion and curiosity about nature. He studied genetics in Paris and Davis, California, before working in Wageningen, Ohio and Norwich, where he is currently a Senior Scientist at The Sainsbury Laboratory and Professor of Biology at The University of East Anglia. He is known for his seminal contributions to our understanding of plant diseases and plant immunity having pioneered genomics and molecular biology methods to reveal fundamental insights into the biology and evolution of eukaryotic plant pathogens. His inventive work in plant pathology has resulted in new approaches to mitigate some of the world’s most serious crop diseases. He is well-known as a champion of open science, including open data, transparent peer review, and preprints to promote rapid dissemination of science. Professor Kamoun has received many awards and recognitions, notably the Kuwait Prize and The Linnean Medal. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2018. |
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| Cristina Vuolo (Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London) Dissecting recognition of fungal virulence factors by plant cell-surface immune receptors I am a first year PhD student in Dr Tolga Bozkurt’s lab, which focuses on dissecting the many intricacies of plant-pathogen interactions. My research interests centre on how plants recognise invading pathogens and trigger defence responses. In this talk, I will present current work investigating the mechanisms by which plant cell-surface receptors mediate immunity against fungal plant pathogens. |
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| Dr Tom Williams (Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London) Investigating Fungal Airway Disease Through the Use of Murine Repeat Challenge Models I am an early career researcher at Imperial College, working with Prof. Darius Armstrong-James whose group focuses on the biological properties and immune responses to the opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. My primary research area of interest is in understanding how the fungi that we are exposed to everyday impact our immune system. In this talk I will outline repeat challenge models of fungal exposure highlighting the immunological and transcriptomics responses. Finally, I will demonstrate how these models can be employed to investigate immunological pathways, respiratory disease and co-infection. |
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