Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine

Imperial College of Science Technology & Medicine (ICSTM) is an independent constituent part of the University of London. It  was established in 1907 in London’s scientific and cultural heartland in South Kensington, as a merger of the Royal College of Science, the City and Guilds College and the Royal School of Mines. During the 1970s and 80s it expanded considerably with addition of medical faculty and merger with Wye College of the University of London. Today the College comprises  19 Departments.

The Department of Biological Sciences, which is  one of the largest in the UK, is distinguished by its  The Timber Research Group which has carried out fundamental research, technical development and teaching in wood science and related topics since the early 1900s. Since the 1960s there has been emphasis on the microbial degradation of wood cell walls, the microbial ecology of wood breakdown and the various methods for wood preservation.

More recently, fundamental research, under the direction of Dr. R. J. Murphy, has concentrated on various aspects of wood cell wall structure and ultrastructure and their relationship with microbial breakdown mechanisms and wood preservative performance. Studies on bamboo cell walls began in the mid-1980s and since then Dr. Murphy has been actively engaged in research in bamboo anatomy. He played an important role in European bamboo research as the main coordinator of the INCO project Sustainable Management and Quality Improvement of Bamboos and Products.

Richard Murphy (B.Sc., Ph.D.) has 20 years of academic experience in  research and teaching in biology.  He is specialized in plant and wood biology, mycology and environmental impact assessment of plant-based materials.  He has had a special interest in bamboo structure and biodeterioration since 1987. His recent publications include:

 

Murphy, R.J,  Alvin, K.L. 1992. Variation in fibre wall structure in bamboo. International Association of Wood Anatomists Bulletin. n.s. 13: 403-410.

Sulaiman O,  Murphy R.J. 1995. Ultrastructure of soft rot decay in bamboo cell walls. Material und Organismen 29: 241-253.

Murphy , R.J., Alvin, K.L. 1997. Fibre maturation in bamboos. In. Chapman G. ed. The Bamboos. London: The Linnenan Society Symposium, London.

Murphy, R.J. & K.L.Alvin (1997). Fibre maturation in the bamboo Gigantochloa scortechinii. IAWA Journal 18 (2) 147-156.

Crow, E., Murphy, R.J & D.F.Cutler (2000) Development of fibre and parenchyma cells in culms of bamboo (Phyllostachys viridi-glaucescens (Carr.) Riv. & Riv.) with emphasis on the cytoskeleton during cell wall deposition.In: Cell and Molecular Biology of Wood Formation Eds Savidge.R.A., Barnett, J.R. and R.Napier, Experimental Biology Reviews, Bios Scientific Publishers, Oxford.

Dr. Murphy will be assisted in this project by Mrs. Cristina Gritsch (B.Sc., M.Sc.).  Mrs Gritsch has undergraduate and postgraduate training in plant biology and is specialized in plant structure and cell wall research on bamboos.