Rachel Rusholme Pilcher

I am a Senior Postdoctoral Researcher in Anthony Hall’s group at the Earlham Institute. My research combines plant genomics and computational biology to understand genetic diversity and gene regulation in wheat, and how this knowledge can support crop improvement. This work contributes to the Delivering Sustainable Wheat and Decoding Biodiversity programmes. 

My current work focuses on pangenome graphs, which bring together genome sequences from multiple individuals to capture variation that a single reference genome can miss. I develop and evaluate approaches for building and analysing these graphs in wheat, whose large and complex genome presents particular computational challenges. Alongside this, I use pan-transcriptomics and comparative regulatory network analysis to investigate how gene expression and the relationships between genes vary across wheat genomes. Together, these approaches help connect genomic diversity with biological function.

I co-founded and lead the International Plant Pangenome Network, bringing together researchers, software developers and breeding companies to address shared challenges in plant pangenomics. I also contribute to community standards through the ERGA Pangenome Working Group and the AIBIO UK AI-ready Bioscience Datasets Working Group. 

I joined Earlham in 2016, following research roles at the University of East Anglia and Plant and Food Research in New Zealand. My background spans crop science, molecular genetics and bioinformatics, with earlier work on disease resistance, marker-assisted breeding and small RNAs in agricultural and horticultural crops.