Jacques is Group Leader at EIT, where his core research focuses on engineering nitrogen fixation in crops to improve the sustainability and productivity of agriculture.

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Before joining us, Jacques held the position of Junior Research Fellow at Trinity College, Oxford, where he remains an honorary member. He also previously completed his DPhil at the University of Oxford as the Lorna Casselton Memorial Scholar in Plant Sciences, has worked as a researcher at the Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, and holds an MSci in Biology from the University of Sheffield.

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Throughout his career, Jacques has been broadly interested in understanding the biological basis of enhanced plant productivity. To this end, his past academic work combined evolutionary and experimental approaches to unlock gains in key plant traits of agricultural importance including photosynthesis, resource-use efficiency, and climate resilience. He is author of multiple publications tackling diverse aspects of these scientific challenges and holds a patent describing a novel genetic engineering strategy for crop improvement.

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Outside of work, Jacques is an avid fan of Leicester Tigers and enjoys spending time with his nephews and in the outdoors.