2024 Lecture by Dr Amelia Henry

On 6th November 2024 Dr Amelia Henry of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines was the 10th Dundee Root Medal recipient. Over the last 20 years Amelia has worked on applying and developing root phenotyping approaches to apply to large genetic populations of rice field conditions across Asia.  Her medal lecture was entitled “Integrated root phenotypes under seedling stage drought in direct-seeded rice” and focused on data from extensive field trials of rice and the impact of root phenotypes in selection of rice breeding material. The lecture was supported by a range of talks given by early career scientists associated with IRRI and a range of Scottish Institutions. The whole event can be seen by following this link 

2023 Posthumous award of the Dundee Root Medal to Prof Philip White

On 8th November 2023 we posthumously awarded the 9th Dundee Root Medal to Professor Philip White of The James Hutton Institute UK. Over the last 35 years plus Prof. White has worked on many aspects of root research including ionomics, plant physiological responses and root modelling.  Professor John Hammond of the University of Reading (a former colleague and friend) delivered the Medal Lecture entitled “Philip White – Elements of his life” and accepted the medal on Philip’s behalf. The lecture was supported by a range of talks given by scientist including former PhD students and colleagues of Philip who described their personal memories and interactions with him over their careers and the science they have done inspired by Philips legacy.

A full recording of the event is available here.

2022 Lecture by Prof Malcolm Bennett

On 9th November 2022 Professor Malcolm Bennett of the University of Nottingham UK was the 8th Dundee Root Medal recipient. Over the last 30 years Prof. Bennett has worked on understanding what molecular, physiological and environmental drivers affect the patterning and distribution of roots in soil. His medal lecture titled "A novel plant water sensing mechanism: Hydraulic flux responsive hormone redistribution determines root branching" and focused on some soon to be published data on the impact of a lack of water on hormone redistribution and ultimately on root branching. The lecture was supported by a range of talks and posters given by scientist from the University of Nottingham and a range of Scottish Institutions. The whole event can be seen by following this  link.

2021 Lecture by Prof Jianbo Shen

On 17th November 2021 Professor Jianbo Shen of the China Agricultural University, Beijing, China was the 7th Dundee Root Medal recipient. Over the last 30 years Prof. Shen has worked on understanding the role of root-soil interactions and other nature-based solutions in solving the problems of inefficiencies in fertiliser use.  His medal lecture was titled “Enhancing root and rhizosphere interactions for sustainable cropping” and focused on the ways in which an understanding of root-soil and root-root interactions can be used to reduce inputs in agriculture. The lecture was supported by a range of talks and posters given by scientist from China Agricultural University, Scottish Institutions and beyond. The programme can be downloaded here and the whole event can be seen by following this link. 

2020 (postponed to 2021) Lecture by Prof Doris Vetterlein

On 5th May 2021 Professor Doris Vetterlein of the UFZ Helmoholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Halle, Germany was the 6th Dundee Root Medal recipient. Over the last 30 years Prof. Vetterlein has worked across all disciplines related to the rhizosphere with topics related to soil chemistry, physics and modelling, and more recently soil biology. Her medal lecture was titled “Rhizosphere research - Can we solve the dilemma between detailed knowledge and system understanding?” and focused on the issues of scaling up the various branches of root research from the laboratory to the field and the landscape. The lecture was supported by a range of talks and posters given by scientist from Scottish Institutions and beyond.

2019 Lecture by Prof Hans Lambers

On 15th May 2019 Prof Hans Lambers gave the fifth Dundee Medal Lecture at the James Hutton Institute. His lecture was entitled “Cluster roots and their functional equivalents: ecological and agronomic significance”. The lecture was supported by a talk given by Prof. Tiina Roose on image-based modelling of plant soil interactions and additional talks and posters by a range of early career scientist from Scottish Institutions.

2018 Lecture by Prof Liam Dolan

On 23 May 2018 Prof Liam Dolan gave the fourth inaugural Dundee Medal Lecture at the James Hutten Institute. His medal-awarded lecture was entitled "Using fossils and genes to understand the development and evolution of plant rooting systems". During the meeting also a number of junior scientists were able to present their research and interact with experienced scientist such as Prof Dolan and the organizers of Dundee University. 

2017 Lecture by Prof Michelle Watt

On 24 May 2017 Prof Michelle Watt gave the third inaugural Dundee Medal Lecture at the James Hutten Institute. Her lecture was entitled "Dynamic and functional phenotyping for future root-based gains in crop productivity". She was impressed by the involved young researcher who presented their research during a poster session and with micro presentation.

2016 Lecture by Prof Peter Gregory

The second inaugural Dundee Medal Lecture was given by Prof Peter Gregory on 25 May 2016 and was entitled "Getting to the root of deep rooting and dwarfing: Medal Lecture in plant root research". He stated that "deep-rooting is a desirable property of many cereals, especially in regions of terminal drought. In contrast, the root system of many perennial plants are much less well understood. Recent research has demonstrated the location and interaction of genetic loci underlying root system behaviour in cereals and in apple rootstocks".

2015 Lecture by Prof Jonathan Lynch

On 23 April 2015 Prof Jonathan Lynch gave the first Inaugural Dundee Medal Lecture in Root Research which was entitled "Roots of the second green revolution" and reviewed recent progress in developming crops with greater drought and nutrient deficiency tolerance through the selection of superior root phenotypes.