30 May 2023 – New Honorary Secretary: Professor Ian Henderson

The Genetics Society is pleased to welcome our new honorary secretary, Professor Ian Henderson.

Ian is a Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge. His group investigates genetic and epigenetic inheritance in plants, with a focus on meiosis. Recently, his group have used long-read DNA sequencing to analyse repetitive regions of the genome, including the centromeres. Their current work includes exploring the roles of recombination within the centromeres, and understanding their rapid evolution.

Work in Ian’s group seeks to translate knowledge of recombination mechanisms in crop breeding, to accelerate strain improvement and help adapt to the changing climate. Prior to arriving in Cambridge, Ian performed post-doctoral research with Prof. Steve Jacobsen (UCLA, USA) on RNA-directed in DNA methylation in plants, and completed his Ph.D with Prof. Dame Caroline Dean (John Innes Centre, UK) where he investigated control of flowering-time by RNA binding proteins.

Find out more about Ian’s research here.