An exciting trip to Syngenta.... A vision of the future?

My first taste of travel as part of my PhD ( the World Conference on Parasitic Plants in the summer doesn't really count, being held in Sheffield!) ... A visit to the International Syngenta Research Station in Jealotts Hill, Reading. 

I admit it's not a huge distance but it felt long enough on the train and a worthy enough journey to break by spending the night at my parents  in Knowle. From cosy childhood bed to plush hotel ( on expenses!) where the Complimentary toiletries were so expensive they were bolted to the wall. It was a completely new standard for me at Stirrups Country House Hotel, themed even down to the room Key rings.

Next day, an early start - the taxi whisking us up the gates of the drive. Anne had warned me that the facility was 'in the middle of nowhere' - I hadn't appreciated that this was to the extent that most of the surrounding cottages were owned by Syngenta to house their employees! We were promptly met by Dr David Portwood, who led me on a tour of the site. Although not strictly one of my supervisors, I will be hopefully working with Dr Portwood considerably if I ever get to the stage of generating any data as he has written most of the statistics programmes for analysis. My whirlwind introduction was only really a peek at this company's research capacity: Syngenta employs over 27,000 people in around 90 countries worldwide. Here, the company vision of 'bringing plant potential to life' was realised in the enormous greenhouses and disciplined collections of highly specialised machines whirring away. Although I had hopefully taken my camera, I was warned that photographs wouldn't be allowed. It was quite something to see sugar cane for the first time- the pictures in books don't do the height justice. I especially liked the policy of placing labs next to offices with glass walls in between- a clever way to circumvent the 'no working in the lab alone' rule - as long as a colleague is working late in the office, they can keep an eye on you. 

Then it was back to the meeting room to discuss the 'nuts and bolts' of the project. The cultivars for study were chosen, time plans discussed... It is unlikely that I will get down to Jealotts Hill again in the near future as it will take a long time to perfect the MALDI-MS technique for root tissue...especially when it is infected with Orobanche or Striga. So until I get any data there is no real NEED for me to be there....

But I could certainly imagine it, taking a seat in the cafeteria amid the swirl of agronomists, seed specialists, plant breeders, biochemists, molecular researchers,etc discussing the day's progress. My PhD really is the start of a journey and at some point it will take me on to the next chapter. Who knows if it will be here, back at Syngenta? 

All  too soon, it was time to catch the train back to Sheffield. I really hope to return soon!