The Seedcorn Fund is an annual open call, with around £30k of funding from generous gifts and donations to the Cabot Institute. Projects supported must demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach and reflect Cabot’s research focus on protecting our environment and identifying ways of living better with our changing planet. 

This year we are delighted to support the following seven projects. 

Funded projects 2024 

Using atmospheric greenhouse gas measurements to improve UK food security 

Investigators: Dr Eric Saboya (School of Geographical sciences); Dr Pete Falloon (School of Biological Sciences) 

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Forams as observers of anthropogenic microplastics 

Investigators: Dr Lewis Alcott (School of Earth Sciences); Dr Michael Henehan (School of Earth Sciences); Dr Charlotte Lloyd (School of Geographical Sciences); Dr Adam Woodhouse (School of Earth Sciences) 

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Robotically-enabled Plant Virus Diagnostics 

Investigators: Dr Nina Ockendon-Powell (School of Biological Sciences); Dave Megson-Smith (School of Physics) 

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Embedding sustainability in research: The perspective of researchers from multiple disciplines across the University of Bristol

Investigators: Dr Ava Lorenc (Bristol Medical School); Dr Daniel Major-Smith (Bristol Medical School); Professor Kate Tilling (Bristol Medical School); Anne-Laure Donskoy (School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies); Dr Patricia Neville (Bristol Dental School); Matthew Fackrell (School of Physics); Katie Major-Smith (University of Plymouth) 

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Spotting Scavengers: Automatic Species Identification and Counting 

Investigators: Dr Irene Bueno Padilla (Bristol Veterinary School); Dr Laszlo Talas (Bristol Veterinary School); Dr Ce Zhang (School of Geographical Sciences); Dr Nicola Rooney (Bristol Veterinary School); Dr Neill Campbell (School of Computer Science); Kane Colston (Bristol Veterinary School) 

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Can we reduce Nitrous Oxide emissions from grasslands by inoculating them with beneficial rhizobia? 

Investigators: Dr Fotis Sgouridis (School of Geographical Sciences); Dr Chris Williamson (School of Geographical Sciences); Dr Tom Williams (School of Biological Sciences) 

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Framing the intersections among housing, thermal comfort and health equity under climate change: A systematic review 

Investigators: Dr Lin Zhang (School of Geographical Sciences); Dr Tingting Zhang (Bristol Medical School); Dr Eunice Lo (School of Geographical Sciences); Dr Caitlin Robinson (School of Geographical Sciences)