We are delighted to announce that Dr Andy Bailey is joining the CONNECTED Directorship. Andy leads the Plant Pathology group at the University of Bristol and will bring a great deal of knowledge and expertise to our network.

I’ve been involved with CONNECTED since it started, often working behind the scenes. Some of you will already have come across me at some of the training events and in the seminar series. I’m delighted to be taking on the role of CONNECTED Director and look forward to continuing to help support this important project.

– Dr Andy Bailey

Both Prof Neil Boonham and Prof Gary Foster will remain as CONNECTED Directors. Gary now has Emeritus Professorial status within the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol.

Andy has worked closely with Prof Gary Foster for many years, co-authoring a significant number of key plant virology publications and co-supervising a number of plant virology-based PhD students. At the University of Bristol, he runs a thriving group of staff and students who oversee research on plant virology, fungal genomics and biotechnology.

Since the earliest days of CONNECTED, Andy has been there to provide support, guidance and advice. He has also managed two successful CONNECTED pump-priming funded projects, working with overseas partners at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Tanzania, and National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), Uganda, alongside UK partners at Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich.