Research on effector-triggered defence against apoplastic pathogens of oilseed rape; molecular host-parasite interactions; resistance (R gene-mediated, multigenic) against pathogens; strategies for deployment of durable disease resistance; diagnosis of symptomless infections; modelling of interactions between effectors and leucine-rich repeat domains of corresponding host receptors; genomics and bioinformatics of R genes; statistical analysis of disease epidemics; transcriptomics; targeted metabolomics and proteomics; molecular genetics; QTL mapping; plant transformation; innate immune mechanisms.

Education

Phd (University of California,  USA-1994)

Diploma (Albert Ludwigs University, Germany-1988 )

Henrik Stotz joined the University of Hertfordshire as an EU Marie Curie FP7 Fellow in 2013. He is a Reader in Crop Protection and the field of his research is on extracellular pathogens of arable crops with emphasis on Brassica host species. His team uses a combination of molecular genetics, functional genomics, biochemistry, cellular biology and bioinformatics to better understand crop-pathogen interactions. Important UK pathogens of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) are studied, including the globally important Leptosphaeria maculans and Pyrenopeziza brassicae, which cause phoma stem canker and light leaf spot, respectively. Yield losses to light leaf spot have recently exceeded other oilseed rape diseases in the UK. Mechanisms of disease susceptibility and resistance are under investigation.

Funded international collaborations exist with teams in India (BBSRC Newton-Bhabha fund from 2018 to 2021) and Japan (JSPS in 2017 and Royal Society support from 2019 to 2021), who share interests in economically important fungal pathogens, e.g. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Alternaria brassicae and Fusarium oxysporum. Henrik has also contributed to the BBSRC ERA/CAPS project on Mechanistic Analysis of Quantitative disease resistance in Brassicas by Associative Transcriptomics from 2015 to 2018.  A KTN BBSRC CASE PhD studentship enabled research on temperature sensitivity of brassica resistance against L. maculans. The team works with Plant Breeders (Elsoms, LS Plant Breeding, KWS) and Agricultural Trusts (Chadacre Agricultural Trust, Morley Agricultural Trust, Felix Cobbold Trust) on funded projects.

Henrik is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a member of the Royal Society of Biology and the British Society for Plant Pathology.