Julian Hibberd is a plant biologist who aims to understand mechanisms underpinning the evolution of photosynthesis. His focus in on identifying molecular, metabolic and cellular processes that distinguish the ancestral C3 photosynthetic pathway from the derived C4 pathway. As C4 photosynthesis has arisen repeatedly in plants, his work has advanced our understanding of how complex traits evolve, and in addition provided guidelines for engineering C4 photosynthesis into less efficient crops.
Julian graduated from the University of Bangor, Wales with a BSc in Biology and then a PhD in Plant Sciences. He carried out postdoctoral research on parasitic plants at the University of Sheffield before moving to the University of Cambridge for a postdoctoral contract on plant molecular biology. He was awarded a BBSRC Sir David Phillips Fellowship to set up his own group in Cambridge and then became a University Lecturer and a Fellow of Emmanuel College. Julian was awarded the President’s Medal of the Society for Experimental Biology in 2005. He is now Head of the Department of Plant Sciences.
Professional position
- Head of Department, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge
- Fellow, Emmanuel College, , University of Cambridge
