Professor Tim Daniell, University of Sheffield
I am a biologist who work mainly on plant soil interactions and sustainable agriculture. I am particularly interested in linking community dynamics with function. Typically, this involves combination of techniques including the application of stable isotope methodology and community molecular ecology. This includes work on nitrogen cycling groups, mycorrhiza, and the reduction in detrimental impacts of modern agriculture. As such my mycorrhizal work focuses mainly on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
What excites you most about ICOM12?
I have always found ICOM to be an open friendly meeting with good interaction between disciplines and people both across the academic spectrum and in more applied areas. The mix of presentations from established and relatively new members of the mycorrhizal society is particularly exciting, and I am looking forward to catching up on recent developments in this critical area of science. I am proud to help organise this meeting that is being held in the UK for the first time and keen that all participants find both the scientific and social aspects of the meeting fulfilling.
Why should people attend ICOM12?
There is nothing like a conference to inspire you to drive your research area forward, generate new ideas and introduce you to new potential friendships and collaborators. ICOM has a history and reputation for providing many opportunities to meet new people particularly with its social programme. We have tried to maintain these opportunities through the programme that we are developing, and I hope that one of the main achievements of the conference is to continue to help early career scientists to develop their contacts in the mycorrhizal community.
