Name:               Helen J OUGHAM

Address:            Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research
                         Plas Gogerddan
                         Aberystwyth
                         Ceredigion
                         SY23 3EB
                         Wales, UK

Date of birth:      30 March 1956

Email:                  helen.ougham(+)bbsrc.ac.uk
                          [to send email, replace (+) with @]

Telephone:         (+44) 1970 823094 

Academic qualifications:

1982                 PhD (Biochemistry), Aberystwyth, Wales
1977                 BA (Natural Sciences - Genetics), Cambridge
 

 Post-doctoral career 

1994 - present            Principal Research Scientist, IGER
1985 - 1994                Senior Scientific Officer, WPBS/IGER
1983 - 1985                Higher Scientific Officer, WPBS
1980 - 1983                Demonstrator, Biochemistry Dept,
                                 University of Wales,  Aberystwyth
 

Positions held and indicators of esteem

·  Invited speaker at Gordon Research Conference on Plant Senescence and Cell Death, Mt Holyoke College, MA, USA, June 2004; elected as co-Chair of 2008 GRC on same topic.

·  Member of Board of Advisors, New Phytologist (since March 2004); frequent reviewer for other scientific journals and of grant applications to funding bodies.

·  Honorary lecturer, University of Birmingham (since October 2004) and University of Wales Aberystwyth (since 1991).

·  Invited lecturer in bioinformatics, International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies, Zaragoza: MSc in Plant Breeding, February 2003, 2005 and 2007; advanced course in "Genomic Tools for the Analysis and Breeding of Complex Traits in Crop Plants", January 2004.

·  Member of BBSRC GDB Committee (since January 2006).

·  Member of BBSRC panels reviewing Crop Science studentship applications (November 2006) and Bioinformatics and Biological Resources fund pre-proposals (February 2007).

·  Member of SEERAD panel reviewing provision of advice, support and training in bioinformatics, biostatistics and mathematical modelling to SEERAD-sponsored bodies in Scotland (November 2004).

·  Former member of Plant Biology Committee, and Council, of Society for Experimental Biology.

·  Member of Interim Executive Committee and Council of Biosciences Federation, 2001-2003.

·  Coordinator of IGER's Bioinformatics and Statistics Technology Platform and Chair of IGER's Computer Users' Group.
 

Scientific interests

·  Cloning, mapping and exploiting genes determining senescence, late-season and post-harvest deterioration in a range of plant species.

·  Interaction between chlorophyll synthesis and catabolism in plant development.

·  Regulation of plant growth and stress responses.

·  Use of imaging and machine-learning methods for non-destructive analysis of plant development, composition and health status.

·  Bioinformatics and biological applications of computing methodologies.

·  Developing and teaching practical applications of informatics for geneticists and breeders.

·  Data mining of large biological multivariate datasets.

·  The art-science interface.
 

Membership of scientific societies 

·  Society for Experimental Biology.

·  Federation of European Societies of Plant Physiology.

·  Genetics Society.

·  Plant Science Wales.

·  Cymdeithas Wyddonol Genedlaethol (Welsh Science Society)