Robert Wilson Jackson
Work Address: School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6
6AJ, UK Tel: +44 118 3788892 Fax: +44 118 3786671 E-mail: R.W.Jackson@reading.ac.uk
CURRENT POSITION
2013 – Associate Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Director of Enterprise, School of
Biological Sciences, University of Reading; Adjunct Professor, University of Akureyri. Area of
Research Expertise: Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions focusing on pathogenic bacteria; plant
growth promoting rhizobacteria including Pseudomonas and Rhizobium; bacteriophage and phage
biopesticides; bacterial pathogens of insects. Sub-areas: Molecular microbiology, genomics,
genetics and gene expression.
FULL TIME EDUCATION
2007-2009
PGCAP (Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice) University of Reading
1994-1997
PhD “Plasmids and virulence in Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola” funded by
AFRC/BBSRC, supervised by Prof. Alan Vivian, awarded 9th March 1998. University
of the West of England (UWE), Bristol
1991-1994
BSc (Hons) Applied Biological Sciences, Upper second, specialization in
Biotechnology, UWE, Bristol
1989-1991
HND Applied Biology UWE, Bristol
FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
2006-2013
Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading
2004-2006
Leverhulme Research Officer, Dept. Biology & Biochemistry, University of Bath
2004
BBSRC Post-doctoral Research Associate, UWE, Bristol
2004
Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Dept. Plant Sciences, University of Oxford
2004
BSPP Fellow and Honorary appointment to University of Auckland, New Zealand
2001-2003
BBSRC Post-doctoral Research Assistant, Dept. Plant Sciences, University of
Oxford including tutoring for several colleges (eg St Catherines, Wadham, Balliol)
1998-2000
BBSRC Post-doctoral Research Associate, UWE, Bristol
1994
Research assistant, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UWE, Bristol
1993/1994
Research assistant, Long Ashton Research Station, Bristol
GRANTS
2014
2014
2013
2013
2013
2012
2012
2012
2011
2011
2011
2010
2010
2010
2010
2010
2009
2008
2007
2007
2007
NERC Impact Accelerator grant £11,920
NERC NBAF sequencing grant £5620
Horticulture Development Company £75,000 PhD studentship
British Council Lifelong Learning ERASMUS Intensive Program £58,000
NERC Impact Accelerator grant £9970
BBSRC grant £550k [with Dawn Arnold (PI, UWE) and Gail Preston (Oxford)]
Commonwealth Scholarship Foundation £6333
BayerCropScience £18,000
Bartletts Tree Experts £9000, CASE studentship
Industry funding from 3 companies Hypotech £8900
Horticultural Development Company £66,150
Leverhulme Trust £151,014
University of Reading and Nottingham Food Security studentship £61,500
University of Reading University Studentship/SCRI £61,500
Lawes Trust £61,500
NERC-CASE studentship £66,000
Lawes Trust £60,000
Commonwealth Scholarship Foundation £12,400
Royal Society Project Grant £15,000
Saudi Arabian Government £15,000
Reading Endowment Trust Fund £42,000
MEMBERSHIP OF SOCIETIES AND POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY
In: Society for General Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology, The Genetics Society,
British Society for Plant Pathology, International Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
2009Supervisor of 13 PhD students (2007-current) and 3 on-time completions
2012Senior Editor, Phytopathology journal
2011Review Editor, Frontiers in Plant-Microbe Interactions journal
2011Guest Editor, Genes journal
2011Associate Editor, European Journal of Plant Pathology
2010
Co-organiser of Pseudomonas syringae and related pathovars international
conference in Oxford University (generating £9k in sponsorship)
2010Member of Advisory Committee for Postgraduate Student Recruitment, University
of Reading; Member of sub-committee for Enterprise, School of Biological
Sciences, University of Reading
2010-2012
Elected member of the British Society for Plant Pathology board
2009
Guest Senior Editor, Molecular Plant Pathology journal
2007Admissions Tutor for BSc Microbiology, University of Reading
2006PhD Examinations (6 as Internal; 8 as External; 2 as overseas assessor)
2008-2011
Visiting lecturer on graduate courses at the Universities of Navarra and Malaga,
Spain; undergraduate courses at UWE Bristol (2004-5)and University of Oxford
(2002)
PUBLICATIONS (SELECTION FROM 41 ARTICLES)
16. Licciardello, G., Jackson, R.W., Bella, P., Strano, C.P., Catara, A.F., Arnold, D.L., Venturi, V.,
Silby, M.W. and Catara, V. (2014) Draft genome sequence of Pseudomonas corrugata, a
phytopathogenic bacterium with potential industrial applications. Journal of Biotechnology, In
press.
15. Rhodes, G., Bosma, H., Studholme, D., Arnold, D.L., Jackson, R.W. and Pickup, R.W. (2014)
The rulB gene of plasmid pWW0 is a hotspot for the site-specific insertion of integron-like
elements found in the chromosomes of environmental Pseudomonas fluorescens group
bacteria. Environmental Microbiology, In press.
15. Taylor, T.B., Johnson, L.J., Jackson, R.W., Brockhurst, M.B. and Dash, P.R. (2013) First steps
in experimental cancer evolution. Evolutionary Applications 6: 535-548.
14. Kljujev, I., Raicevic, V., Andrews, S., Jackson, R., Lalevic, B. and Dorati, F. (2012)
Transmission of E. coli from contaminated irrigation water and soil to plant tissue. Journal of
Hygienic Engineering and Design 1: 83-87.
13. Haapalainen, M., Mosorin, H., Dorati, F., Wu, R.-F., Roine, E., Taira, S., Nissinen, R., Mattinen,
L., Jackson, R., Pirhonen, M. and Lin, N.-C. (2012) Hcp2, a Secreted Protein of the
Phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. Tomato DC3000, Is Required for Fitness for
Competition against Bacteria and Yeasts. Journal of Bacteriology 194: 4810-4822.
12. Bardaji, L., Anorga, M., Jackson, R.W., Martinez-Bilbao, A., Yanguas, N. and Murillo, J. (2011)
Miniature Transposable Sequences Are Frequently Mobilized in the Bacterial Plant Pathogen
Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola. PLoS One, 6, e25773.
11. Jackson, R. W., Vinatzer, B., Arnold, D.L., Dorus, S. and Murillo, J. (2011) The influence of the
accessory genome on bacterial pathogen evolution. Mobile Genetic Elements 1, 55-65.
10. Arnold, D.L and Jackson, R.W. (2011) Bacterial genomes: evolution of pathogenicity. Current
Opinion in Plant Biology 14, 385-391.
9. Godfrey, S.A.C., Lovell, H.C., Mansfield, J.W., Corry, D.S., Jackson, R.W. and Arnold, D.L.
(2011) The Stealth Episome: Suppression of Gene Expression on the Excised Genomic Island
PPHGI-1 from Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola. PLoS Pathogens 7, e1002010.
8. Silby, M.W., Winstanley, C., Godfrey, S.A.C., Levy, S.B. and Jackson, R.W. (2011)
Pseudomonas genomes: diverse and adaptable. FEMS Microbiology Reviews 35, 652-680.
7. Jackson, R.W., Johnson, L.J., Clarke, S.R. and Arnold, D.L. (2011) Bacterial pathogen
evolution: breaking news. Trends in Genetics 27, 32-40.
6. Lovell, H.C., Jackson, R.W., Mansfield, J.W., Godfrey, S.A., Hancock, J.T., Desikan, R. and
Arnold, D.L. (2010) In planta conditions induce genomic changes in Pseudomonas syringae pv.
phaseolicola. Molecular Plant Pathology 12, 167-176.
5. Godfrey, S.A., Mansfield, J.W., Corry, D.S., Lovell, H.C., Jackson, R.W. and Arnold, D.L. (2010)
Confocal Imaging of Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola Colony Development in Bean
Reveals Reduced Multiplication of Strains Containing the Genomic Island PPHGI-1. Molecular
Plant-Microbe Interactions 23, 1294-302.
4. Green, S., Studholme, D.J., Laue, B.E., Dorati, F., Lovell, H., Arnold, D., Cottrell, J.E., Bridgett,
S., Blaxter, M., Huitema, E., Thwaites, R., Sharp, P.M., Jackson, R.W. and Kamoun, S. (2010)
Comparative genome analysis provides insights into the evolution and adaptation of
Pseudomonas syringae pv. aesculi on Aesculus hippocastanum. PLoS One 5, e10224.
3. Lovell, H.C., Mansfield, J.W., Godfrey, S.A.C., Jackson, R.W., Hancock, J.T. and Arnold, D.L.
(2009) Bacterial Evolution by Genomic Island Transfer Occurs via DNA Transformation In
Planta. Current Biology 19, 1586-1590.
2. Aslam, S.N., Newman, M-A., Erbs, G., Morrissey, K.L., Chinchilla, D., Boller, T., Jensen, T.T.,
De Castro, C., Ierano, T., Molinaro, A., Jackson, R.W., Knight, M.R. and Cooper, R.M. (2008)
Bacterial polysaccharides suppress induced innate immunity by calcium chelation. Current
Biology 18, 1078-1083.
1. Giddens, S.R. Jackson, R.W., Moon, C.D., Gehrig, S., Zhang, X-X. and Rainey, P.B. (2007)
Mutational activation of niche specific genes provides insights into regulatory networks and
bacterial function in a complex environment. PNAS 104, 18247-252.