Dr Stephen Chivasa

Associate Professor in the Department of Biosciences

What do you do?

I studied for my BSc and MSc degrees at the University of Zimbabwe and PhD degree at the University of Cambridge. I joined Durham University as a Post-Doc in the group of Prof Toni Slabas, where I then obtained a five-year Research Fellowship to build my independent research. My research seeks to (i) understand how plants and microbes adapt to stress, and (ii) translate the results into useful agritech and biotech innovations. 

How are you involved in this area of science?

I am an Associate Professor in Biosciences and a co-Lead in SMART soils, where I carry out groundbreaking work outlining the importance of the soil microbiome in turning on and off some plant genes that help with drought resistance.  

Much of my expertise is in cell communication in multicellular organisms, and how they synchronise their responses to internal and external growth & developmental cues. Cell-to-cell communication is essential in adaptive responses to both biotic and abiotic stresses, such as drought which is caused by climate change.  

I am leading work in Zimbabwe to rebuild soils using soil and plant technologies, and I’ve had several appearances on national radio and television promoting Durham's rebuilding soils work in this area. 

What do you love about this topic?

Soil sustains life and is the ultimate source of all elemental materials used to build our modern infrastructure, gadgets and equipment in homes, cities and all industrial sectors. However, very little is known about microbes that inhabit the soil.

Uncovering the amazing world of microbial life that has been hidden, literally under our feet, is exciting. I’m learning a great deal about how these microbial systems work and using this knowledge to develop nature-based technologies to make our food production systems climate resilient. 

How does this work deliver real-world impact?

We discovered the molecular link between soil microbes and the ability of naturally drought-tolerant crops to thrive under water scarcity. We are applying these findings in partnership with colleagues in African plant breeding centres to screen for crop varieties with heightened sensitivity to stimulation by soil microbes.

We are also engaging with farmers to implement soil management measures that promote greater soil health. In combination, this will improve crop yields in smallholder rain-fed farming systems, which are particularly vulnerable to droughts. 

Find out more:

• Watch Dr Stephen Chivasa give an interview on drought and soil degradation in Africa.
• Take a look at Dr Stephen Chivasa's work to develop soil treatment technology for protection against drought
• Find out more about his work with Zimbabwean farmers to rebuild soils.
• Read more about why Dr Stephen Chivasa was recently honoured at the Chancellor's Circle Dinner 2024.
• Learn more about Dr Stephen Chivasa's STFC Food Network Impact Award