
Biography
Contact details:
- +44 (0) 1603 450 036
Richard is Group Leader of the Technology Algorithms Group (Leggett Group). His research interests include:
- Application of new sequencing technologies
- Real-time sequence analysis
- Sequencing for diagnostics and surveillance
- Classification and assembly of metagenomic samples
- In-field and in situ sequencing
- Development of new bioinformatics tools
He has been involved in the development of a number of bioinformatics tools, including:
- NanoOK (https://documentation.tgac.ac.uk/display/NANOOK/NanoOK)
- NextClip
- Bubbleparse
- Cortex_con and MetaCortex (http://cortexassembler.sourceforge.net/)
- StatsDB
- RADplex
Graduating in Physics, Richard spent 10 years working as a software engineer, before undertaking an MSc in Advanced Computing Science and a PhD in Computational Biology. His PhD thesis was entitled, "Computational approaches for the analysis and modelling of filamentous growth and branching of Steptomyces coelicolor". Following the PhD, and prior to joining EI, Richard was a postdoc at The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, looking at novel methods for SNP detection in reference-free organisms.
Projects
Publications
Related reading.
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20 April 2016
Technology
FEATURE
| 3 min READ
MinIONs, MAP and MARC: Nanotechnology developments
We're working with the latest in nanopore sequencing technology to push the boundaries of low-cost, portable genomics solutions.
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23 March 2022
Science
FEATURE
On the origin of errors: the causes and consequences of mistakes during DNA replication
DNA replication is a simple enough concept. Copy, divide, rest, repeat. While the basic idea is straightforward, the actual machinery governing the process of replication remains something of an enigma.
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11 February 2022
Science
FEATURE
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Why is genome annotation important?
Genome annotation is no simple feat, but it’s incredibly important in identifying the functional elements of DNA. Building the appropriate tools and pipelines is key.
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04 February 2022
Science
Technology
FEATURE
| 5 min READ
Why cloud computing is important for data-driven bioscience research
Access to powerful compute resources via our cloud computing infrastructure enables bioscience research, collaboration, and innovation.
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10 December 2021
Science
FEATURE
| 15 min READ
How bioinformatics can crack the complex case of protist biodiversity
Protists defy taxonomic classification and wow us with their weirdness on a daily basis. They’ve been excruciatingly difficult to study but, thanks to single-cell genomics and bioinformatics being carried out at the Earlham Institute, we’re finally decoding their abundant biodiversity.
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25 November 2021
Science
FEATURE
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The dramatic effects genomics will have on our future world
Fish and chips, fabrics, personalised medicine and coffee. These are just some of the things you might have Earlham Institute researchers to thank for in the decades to come.
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04 November 2021
Science
FEATURE
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The inextricable link between climate change and biodiversity.
Why conservation must be at the forefront of the conversation.
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28 October 2021
Science
FEATURE
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Hidden Biodiversity: How genomics can save nature’s secrets before they’re lost forever
Genomics offers a way to understand nature’s secrets like never before. In revealing them, this branch of science highlights the multitude of ways we might nurture and benefit from, rather than destroy, biodiversity.
21 December 2015
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NanoOK: Quality Control for portable, rapid, low-cost DNA sequencing
Scientists at the Earlham Institute (EI) have been putting Oxford Nanopore’s MinION sequencer through its paces with an open-source, sequence alignment-based genome analysis tool called ‘NanoOK’.
13 May 2022
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Not all looks rosy for the pink pigeon
Boosting numbers of the once critically endangered pink pigeon may not be enough to save it from extinction in the future, according to a major study on the iconic species.
02 May 2022
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Coronavirus jams communication signals to immune cells in the gut
A computer model could help to reveal how some infectious diseases - including COVID-19 - trigger an overactive immune response in certain patients, which can drive inflammation and lead to serious complications or even death.
28 April 2022
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Precision medicine tool finds hidden genetic connections that could personalise IBD treatment
People with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) develop the condition due to distinct and different mechanisms, determined by their genetics. Researchers and clinicians from the Quadram Institute, the Earlham Institute, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and University of East Anglia with collaborators in Cambridge, London and Leuven (Belgium), have found that natural genetic variation appears to influence the development of IBD.
14 March 2022
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Deciphering gut microbiome ‘chatter’ to combat IBD
Scientists at the Earlham Institute, Quadram Institute and University of East Anglia on the Norwich Research Park, have developed a new computational biology method to better understand IBD for targeted clinical treatments.
20 January 2022
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New legislation granted to progress plant gene editing in UK
Following the UK’s departure from the EU, DEFRA has put into place new legislation to cut bureaucracy for gene editing in plant research.
20 January 2022
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'Molecular Facebook’ signals researchers to right path for understanding cell function in disease
Scientists at the Earlham Institute, UK, and Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary, have developed a free, downloadable resource to provide researchers with essential information on biological pathways in human and model organisms.
17 January 2022
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UK project underpins global effort to map genomes of all life on earth
The Earth BioGenome Project (EBP) - a global effort to sequence the genomes of all plants, animals, fungi and other microbial life on Earth - is entering a new phase as it moves from pilot projects to full-scale production genome sequencing.