Staff

Dr Lauren Farwell joined NRI as a Postdoctoral Researcher in 2024. Her work focuses on investigating the ecology and diversity of plant pathogens, using novel monitoring and diagnostic techniques in the field and researching sustainable management strategies against such pathogens. Lauren is a member of NRI’s Agriculture, Health and Environment Department, working in the Plant Health and Postharvest Science research themes.

Before joining NRI, Lauren was a PhD student with Cranfield University in the Applied Mycology department, and was based at the Pest and Pathogen Ecology department at NIAB East Malling. While based at NIAB East Malling for four years, Lauren researched the epidemiology of Cladosporium on raspberry using sequencing to determine species present, field screens to determine fruit susceptibility, metabarcoding to assess the epicarp microbiome and performed field assays of biological control agents and resistant varieties to determine their efficacy. During her time at NIAB East Malling, Lauren also worked as a research technician, working on pathology and bio-stimulant experiments across various horticultural crops.

Lauren holds a BSc in Plant Science (University of Bristol) and a PhD on the epidemiology and management of Cladosporium on raspberry (Cranfield University in partnership with NIAB East Malling).

Lauren’s expertise includes pathogenicity assays, DNA barcoding, amplicon sequencing, biological control agent assays, airborne spore sampling and detection and the development of diagnostic assays.  

John has over thirty years of experience working as an analytical chemist, primarily within UKAS 17025 accredited laboratories. He has worked within the food enforcement sector analysing samples submitted by bodies such as Trading Standards and Port Health Authorities. He has spent five years establishing and developing a quality control/research laboratory for a successful private company within the global beer industry before moving to the Natural Resources Institute in September 2024.

In addition to food analysis experience, John brings knowledge from other sectors as diverse as pharmaceuticals (specifically cannabis) and forensic explosives.

He is fully conversant with traditional wet chemistry techniques and the latest analytical instrumentation, using both to generate accredited analytical methods of analysis.

Dr Mary Tanyitiku joined the University of Greenwich in October 2023 as a Research Fellow in food and safety. She is a trained food process engineer with experience in academia and the food industry. For example, in 2014 and 2015, she worked with the Netherlands Development Organisation, SNV Cameroon, to improve the performance of women cooperatives/CIG in the diary value chain, that is, production, collection, processing and commercialisation of milk and milk products. This fixed-term field project focused on diet formulation/animal nutrition and incorporated local dairy producers and processors in the Far North dairy platform termed “Plateforme des Acteurs de la Filière Lait de la région de l’Extrême-Nord” (ACFILEN). Then, between 2015 and 2018, she went further as a lecturer to design curriculums and teach modules in the production and processing of arable, animal, and plantation food products as well as in diet formulation/animal nutrition, starting from the very first batch of student teachers (postgraduate level) at the Higher Technical Teachers Training College of the University of Buea, Cameroon. In addition, she was a senior quality and food grader at Kraft Heinz Watties, Christchurch, New Zealand, for four seasons. 

While her MSc research studied the effects of processing methods (germination, toasting, fermentation and soaking) on the technofunctional, nutritional and sensory characteristics of African consumed cereal-based complementary foods, her doctoral research was interdisciplinary and combined qualitative research (in-depth face-to-face interviews, participant observation, visual methods), molecular techniques (DNA extraction, PCR, and gel electrophoresis) and traditional microbial culturing to understand the public health risks of foodborne pathogens among snail meat-consuming populations in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Cameroon. The latter was fully funded by the New Zealand Aid programme.

Despite her career goals in food science, she enjoys teaching French to children under 11 years of age, as a volunteer.