Member profile

Professor Huw Jones

Last updated: 22 December 2023

 

Huw D Jones is Professor of Translational Genomics for Plant Breeding at IBERS Aberystwyth University. His research applies biotechnology approaches to study functional genomics in cereals with a current focus on gene editing. He also has interests in plant tissue culture, chloroplast transformation, RNAi and in validating promoters for targeting expression to pre-defined tissues. As a university academic he collaborates widely and has published over 110 research papers, books and other articles in plant molecular genetics and biotechnology.

In addition to his research and teaching interests he has expertise in risk assessment and food safety. He is a member of the Defra committee ACRE (Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment), the Aberystwyth University GM safety committee and served on the GMO panel of European Food Safety Authority from 2009-2018, the last two years as vice-chair. He has also co-authored over 150 scientific risk assessment opinions and guidance documents for EFSA.

Professor Jones has an MSc (Biotechnology), a PhD (Molecular Biology and Intracellular Signalling) from Bristol University and was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) in 2002. He has experience of chairing expert groups such as the EFSA GMO panel, the UK Plant Sciences Federation Working Group on Regulatory Frameworks and sessions on safety of genome editing at the OECD Conference Paris, June 2018. He is a member of the management board and working group leader of the iPLANTA EU COST Action (CA15223 Modifying plants to produce interfering RNA) and a member of the PlantEd EU COST Action (CA18111 Genome editing in plants - a technology with transformative potential).

Professor Jones joined the ACNFP in May 2019.

Register of interests

In line with FSA policy and established good practice for accessing external expertise, Scientific Advisory Committee members are required to declare any personal or non-personal interests which represent a real or potential conflict in respect of general or specific aspects of work undertaken. Interests will be managed in accordance with the FSA’s policy and guidance. 

If members have interests not specified in these notes, but which they believe could be regarded as influencing their advice or other work for FSA, they should declare them. However, members are not under any obligation to search out interests of which they might reasonably not be aware. For example, either through being unaware of all the interests of family members, or of not being aware of links between one company and another. 

Current

Personal

Category of Interest

Organisation / Body and Nature of Interest 

Direct employment

Aberystwyth University (2016-present)

Other fee-paid work from relevant organisations, consultancies

BBSRC Grant review panels (2000-present)

Various Universities: UK & International- External PhD viva examiner, receiving a small honorarium & expenses (2007-present)

Small payments for academic book royalties & editing (1990-present)

Membership, affiliation, trusteeships or decision-making position with relevant organisations

Member of Royal Soc Biology 2002 - current.

Member of the EPSO Plants for the Future. Gene editing working group 2019 – current

Member of the Plants for the Future, European Technology Platform. 2020 – current.

Member of BBSRC pool of experts, Jan 2017 - current

Non-Personal

Category of Interest

Organisation / Body and Nature of Interest 

Fellowships endowed by relevant organisations

Fellow of Royal Society Biology (2002-present)

Indirect financial or non-financial support from relevant organisations

BBSRC Core Strategic Programme Grant Resilient Crops BB/CSP1730/1 (2017-present)

EU COST Action PlantEd Genome editing in plants- representative (2019-present)

Other Public Appointments

Defra committee ACRE (Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment)

Historic

Personal

Category of Interest

Organisation / Body and Nature of Interest 

Direct employment

Rothamsted Research (1998-2016)

Other fee-paid work from relevant organisations, consultancies

Expert, GMO Panel, European Food Safety Authority (2009-2018)

Honorary Professor, School of Biosciences, Nottingham University (2009-2018)

Membership, affiliation, trusteeships or decision-making position with relevant organisations

Chair, UK Plant Sciences Federation Working Group on Regulatory Frameworks (2014-2015)

Monogram Steering Committee (2011-2015)

Non-Personal

Category of Interest

Organisation / Body and Nature of Interest 

Fellowships endowed by relevant organisations

Honorary researcher, Rothamsted Research UK (2016-2019)

Honorary Professor, School of Biosciences, Nottingham University 2009 – 2018.

Indirect financial or non-financial support from relevant organisations

EU COST Action: iPlantaCA15223- UK rep, working group & management committee member (2017-2020)

Supervisor for Aberystwyth Uni/Syngenta PhD studentship (2017-2024 - dormant from 2021-2024)

Responsible for research funded by BBSRC Tools & Resources Development Fund BB/L017768/1

Led research project funded by Aberystwyth Uni Transforming Social Science Fund (2017-2018)