At the John Innes Centre, diversity is at the heart of what we do. Just as we celebrate and leverage biodiversity in our research to solve global challenges in plant and microbial science, we recognise that Neurodiversity - differences in how people think, process, and interact with the world - is equally vital to our success.

To truly understand and embrace Neurodiversity, we must examine how it intersects with other identities, such as race, gender, and LGBTQIA+ identities. At the John Innes Centre, our Neurodiversity Project aims to understand and acknowledge these intersections, shedding light on the unique challenges faced by individuals who navigate multiple layers of marginalisation.

Our Strategic Engagement and the Communications teams recently hosted Harshanie Dasanayaka, a Microbes, Microbiomes and Bioinformatics (MMB) programme PhD student funded by the UKRI Medical Research Council (MRC). Harshanie’s professional placement helped her delve deeper into how policy is informed by science, and she shared with us what she had learnt. We caught up with...

Experimental farm Team Leader retires after 26 years of service to science

It's good to plan, especially when you are competing for space in a high-impact academic journal read by scientists the world over. But sometimes pure accident plays an influential part in achieving your ambitions: a chance observation that morphs into a major clue that leads to a brand-new view of the world

Embracing Neurodiversity is a crucial part of creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, regardless of their cognitive style. That’s why we have developed an internal Neuroinclusive Communications Guide as part of our Understanding, Valuing and Celebrating Neurodiversity Project. Read on for four top tips from our guide that anyone can adopt to promote Neuroinclusive communication.

James Piercy, communications and engagement officer, works with our scientists to share their work and research with different audiences, including engaging school groups with plant and microbial science. He is also passionate about nature and in this blog, hot on the heels of the Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year 2024, he shares the trees that he loves most in Norwich.

Microbes are found almost everywhere on Earth, and have evolved over the past 3.5 billion years to survive and thrive in diverse habitats, including in and on plants. The relationship between plants and microbes is complex; some microbes are beneficial, whilst others can cause devastating diseases.

One day, a few years ago, a local teacher found something strange in his garden. The story that follows is one of plants, beer, bacteria, insects and ZOMBIES! For this Halloween special edition blog Dr Sam Mugford, research assistant, reveals the strange science of phytoplasmas, a group of plant-infecting bacteria with very peculiar properties, and how he made his own delicious zombie beer…