The John Innes Centre at the Norwich Research Park has a new Director and Chief Executive. He is Professor Dale Sanders FRS and he will take up the post on 1 September 2010.

Professor Sanders is currently Head of the Department of Biology at the University of York. He joined York in 1983 as a lecturer, following a PhD at the University of Cambridge and a five-year post-doctoral fellowship at Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, USA. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2001. Professor Sanders is a leading authority on the mechanisms for the transport of chemical elements across cell membranes in plants.

Prof Douglas Kell, BBSRC Chief Executive, said: “Prof Sanders is a leading and internationally recognised plant scientist. He brings an exceptional track record in plant membrane transport that will complement JIC’s world-class research teams and management experience that will help him to build on the strong legacy of the previous Director, the late Chris Lamb.”

Professor Sanders said: “The John Innes Centre has an unrivalled global reputation for excellence in plant and microbial sciences. I am looking forward to taking up the role as Director and Chief Executive and leading the Centre in building on its scientific strengths and harnessing its expertise for the benefit of society in the UK and beyond. JIC scientists – who have established international acclaim for world-leading basic research - can help to shape the future of our world, through contributing to the development of new, higher quality or disease resistant crops to improve food security, and by discovering new antibiotics from studies in microbes.”

Professor Sanders succeeds Prof Chris Lamb CBE FRS who died in August 2009. Prof Mike Bevan has been Acting Director in the intervening period and will continue to hold that post until 1 September 2010.