Name
Lisa Black
Role
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr Lisa Black, originally from Lancashire, England, studied Applied Biology at Liverpool Polytechnic, specialising in Ecology and Agronomy. After graduating, she worked for an agrochemical company assessing fungicide and Plant Growth Regulator efficacy in cereal and legume trials. In 1987, she began her PhD at the University of Aberdeen, researching nitrogen cycling in a Sitka spruce ecosystem. She then joined Queen’s University as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Newforge, focusing on nitrogen cycling in grazed grasslands, mushroom compost characterisation, and fungicide resistance in cereal pathogens.
In 2003, Dr Black started work at AFBI Crossnacreevy, concentrating on cereal variety evaluation as part of the UK-wide AHDB trialling system. Trials at Limavady have consistently produced exceptional results, including record-breaking yields in winter barley. She utilises trial data to deliver knowledge transfer opportunities for Northern Ireland’s cereal growers, emphasising varietal resistance to combat diseases such as Septoria and Rhynchosporium. Dr Black contributes to collaborative projects such as MonPESC and CIVYL, which address fungicide resistance and improving cereal yields across Ireland. She also leads a DAERA-funded soil health project aimed at enhancing sustainability through improved soil management practices and knowledge transfer initiatives in collaboration with CAFRE, AHDB, and Teagasc.
