黑料吃瓜网

PhD in Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, 2019

BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry, Queen Mary, University of London, 2015

Rory was awarded his BSc in Biochemistry from Queen Mary, University of London in 2016. He then moved to the University of Warwick where he began his MIBTP-funded PhD in plant-microbe interactions. Under the supervision of Professor Patrick Schafer, Rory explored the role of symbiotic effector proteins in modulating host hormone signalling, and how they might contribute to mutualism. Upon earning his PhD, Rory joined the group of Professor Daniel Gibbs at the 黑料吃瓜网 to investigate how proteolysis influences plant responses to their environment, with a focus on the N-degron pathway of protein degradation.

Since 2025, Rory continues his work at the 黑料吃瓜网 as an independent BBSRC Fellow. His work centres on understanding how chromatin structure influences 'adaptive' immunity in plants, and how the epigenome might be engineered to develop resistance traits in crop species.

Remember thy enemy: An epigenetic mechanism for pathogen memory in plants

Despite having no central nervous system, plants possess the remarkable ability to ‘remember’ past stresses via epigenetic regulation. This genetic memory can promote survival when a plant is exposed to other future stresses. With his BBSRC Fellowship, Dr Osborne aims to dissect this memory to unlock new ways in improving crop resilience to disease.

How PRC2 integrates environmental signals to control growth via the N-degron pathway of protein degradation

Funded by the ERC and BBSRC, this project aims to understand how the proteolytic control of the N-degron substrate VERNALIZATION2 (VRN2) influences plant growth. VRN2 is a subunit of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2, which facilitates the deposition of the histone mark H3K27me3. This project seeks to understand how the proteolytic control of VRN2 and chromatin remodelling activity of PRC2 converge to regulate growth in Arabidopsis.

The role of effectors in regulating mutualism during plant-symbiont interactions

During an infection, plant-pathogens secrete small proteins known as effectors into host cells that suppress immunity and rewire metabolism to support their reproduction. The study of effector proteins over the past 30 years has been hugely beneficial in improving our understanding of plant-pathogen interactions and plant immunity.

Effectors are also utilised by symbionts to suppress immunity and rewire their metabolism. Unlike pathogens, symbionts do not cause disease, but instead confer beneficial traits to their host, such as improved yield, disease resistance, or abiotic stress tolerance. In work started during his BBSRC funded PhD, Dr. Osborne seeks to understand how symbiont effectors are used to enhance the fitness of their host, with a focus on the interaction between the root endophyte Serendipita indica and Arabidopsis thaliana. Just as pathogen effectors have been used to improve our understanding of immunity, Rory hopes to use symbiont-effectors to enhance our knowledge of beneficial signalling pathways in plants, to enhance resilience.

Rory is an Assistant Features Editor for The Plant Cell, where he writes feature articles to highlight new findings in plant science. He is also a tutor at the Gatsby Plant Science Summer School and is involved in activities with the Society for Experimental Biology.