Dhan Bhandari

Dhan Bhandari


About him:

Dr Dhan Bhandari is Senior Scientist (Quality) in the AHDB Crop Production System Team. Dhan has a first degree in Medical Biochemistry and a PhD from studying muscle proteins at the University of Birmingham, UK. He conducted post-doctoral research on muscle biochemistry and cell biology at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA (1985–87). Dhan worked at FMBRA/Campden BRI for 19 years where he researched the functionality of cereal proteins and enzymes that impact upon processing quality. His studies included N fertilizer inputs and wheat quality; the development of rapid testing methods: NIR and lab-on-a-chip technology for varietal identification; rapid diagnostic lateral flow device test for the Hagberg Falling Number, grain spoilage using e-nose technology. In 2004, Dhan was awarded the Heinz Travelling Scholarship for Scientific Excellence on ‘Innovative work on methods for assessing wheat quality and authenticity.’ He has been a a research manager at AHDB since 2010 commissioning and evaluating research on cereals and oilseeds and is acknowledged as AHDB’s leading expert on quality and safety of cereals and oilseeds for human consumption and for animal feed. Dhan is also a member of the BSI AW/4 Cereal and Pulses Committee and has represented the UK at ISO/CEN meetings.

 

About his talk:

“Designing future wheats with improved quality and pest/disease resistance”


The presentation will highlight research currently undertaken in the UK that aims to help plant breeders in their efforts to develop wheat with a range of improved characteristics. This includes pioneering pre-breeding research in the Designing Future Wheat (DFW) and the Wheat Genetic Improvement Network (WGIN), and other major collaborative programmes involving researchers and industry.