Staff Profiles : Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences , Aberystwyth University

Dylan Gwynn-Jones joined Aberystwyth University in 1999 and is currently a Reader in the IBERS Ecology Group. He previously worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the Universities of Sheffield (1994-1999) and Manchester (1992-1994) engaging with research on several European projects. Research targeted the effects of future elevated carbon dioxide and UV stress impacts on plants and communities. This followed a Ph.D. at Bangor University (1989-1992) jointly with CEH Bush in Edinburgh on the future effects of elevated carbon dioxide on trees.

His research interests on elevated carbon dioxide and also plant stressors continue to the current day but has diversified to also include agricultural and horticultural crops. He now investigates ‘stress tools’ and using stressor exposure to manipulate plant chemistry and crop quality.

Dylan teaches is a highly experienced teacher, a Fellow of the HEA and delivers modules to a broad range of degree scheme at undergraduate and post-graduate levels at IBERS.

· Director of Research (Agriculture and Environment Theme).

· IBERS Director of Welsh Language and Culture.

· Scheme coordinator (Ecology C180, Plant Biology C200).

· Member of the Institute Learning and Teaching committee.

· Module coordinator (BR23620 Arctic Ecology Field Course; BG21420 Arolygu Ecolegol; BR13510 Ecology; BR21120 Climate Change: Plants, Animals and Ecosystems; BR21420 Ecological Surveying; BRM4920 Frontiers in the Biosciences).

· Lecturer / contributor to the following modules (field, laboratory and class): BR01440 Organisms and the Environment; BR13510 Ecology; BR12410 Study and Communication Skills; BR23620 Arctic Ecology Field Course BR21120 Climate Change: Plants, Animals and Ecosystems; BR21420 Ecological Surveying; BG21420 Arolygu Ecolegol; BR23420 Research Methods; BR32330 Dissertation; BRM4920 Frontiers in the Biosciences; BRM6520 Introduction to Environmental Law and Environmental Impact Assessment; EAM4020 Fundamentals of Remote Sensing and GIS.

· Researcher: attracting competitive external funding from UK and international sources; managing staff and budgets; collecting and analysing data, writing papers and research reviews (including reports and book chapters) for peer reviewed journals; public and stakeholder engagement.

· Postgraduate supervisor (MSc, MRes and Ph.D.)

Module Coordinator

Moderator

Tutor

Lecturer

Current research interests include

Field research on heath communities dominated by the family Ericaceae: a) The effects of future environmental changes (elevated carbon dioxide, enhanced UV-B and increased temperature) on the carbon dynamics of sub-arctic heath communities in Swedish Lapland; b) Investigating the control of the invasive ericaceous species Rhododendron ponticum in heath and moorland communities in collaboration with Snowdonia National Park Authority.

Grassland research:

c) Climate smart-grass research – part of a Welsh Government funded national research network (NRN) in Wales looking at how we can making forage grasslands more resilient against future extreme weather events; d) Grassland systems, ground source heating systems and carbon – part of the Welsh Government supported SEREN project; e) Phytoextraction of metals using grass species in collaboration with Tata Steel;

Horticultural research

f) Using stress tools to manipulate crop quality in hydroponic systems - in collaboration with Phytoponics Ltd; g) Pop up Agriculture for polar regions - in collaboration with the British Antarctica Survey, Cambridge; h) Insect vision in glasshouses - in collaboration with the National Botanic Garden of Wales; i)Circular economics applied to hydroponics - in collaboration with Freeland Horticulture.

A synchronized, large-scale field experiment using Arabidopsis thaliana reveals the significance of the UV-B photoreceptor UVR8 under natural conditions. / Neugart, Susanne; Steininger, Viktoria; Fernandes, Catarina et al.
In: Plant, Cell and Environment, Vol. 47, No. 10, 31.10.2024, p. 4031-4047.