Fighting for food security

The Halpin Scholars, funded by the late Dr Leslie Halpin (Maths 1979) and his wife Claire (Biology 1979), are PhD research students investigating the devastating Rice Blast disease to find a way to prevent it. Seven PhD students have trained to date including scholars from the rice-growing regions of Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Turkey.

The aim of the programme is to enable students from rice-growing countries in the developing world to come to Exeter to train in molecular plant pathology.

Alice Bisola Eseola will become the eighth PhD student to take up the Halpin Scholarship and benefit from a life-changing opportunity. Alice joins a prestigious group of outstanding young scientists, including Wasin Sakulkoo, who recently completed his PhD at Exeter.

Wasin said: “Every year rice blast disease destroys enough rice to feed more than 60 million people. My research aims to understand this disease and to help develop a solution so that farmers do not lose their crops and people do not suffer from food shortages. I hope that one day, my research will help rice farmers around the world, including in my home country of Thailand. I have been able to pursue my dream thanks to a Halpin Scholarship. Receiving the scholarship has made such a difference to me and the work I am able to do. It has meant I’ve been able to study at a world-class university with renowned scientists, and employ a wide range of molecular biology techniques. I have been able to attend global conferences, meet other academics and present my findings to the wider scientific community.”

IMAGE: Halpin Scholar, Wasin Sukulkoo speaking at the 2017 Thank You reception at the Innholders Hall, City of London, 26 September 2017