The James Hutton Institute
World-leading scientific organisation encompassing a distinctive range of integrated strengths in land, crop, water, environmental and socio-economic science.
- Congratulations to Professor Lorna Dawson, who has been named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in New Year Honours List! 🤩👏 She was recommended for the award by His Majesty the King for her services to innovations in soil and forensic science.
- The December edition of Hutton Highlights is out now! 🤩 Inside: the opening of our new Hutton Hub, Scotland’s first Scottish-bred blueberry 🫐, our impact on the UK economy 📈, support for potato farmers in Kenya 🥔 — and more. Read it here: www.hutton.ac.uk/hutton-highl...
- 🎄Holiday Closure Notice🎄 🕒 📆 The Hutton will close at 5pm on Wednesday, 24 December, and reopen on Monday, 5 January 2026. Receptions at Craigiebuckler & Invergowrie will close earlier, at 12 noon on 24 December. ✨Happy Holidays!✨
- We've had a great year here at the Hutton, filled with inspiring projects and amazing science. 🔬 To celebrate it all, we've put together a video highlighting some of this incredible work. 🤩 Here's to another successful year in 2026! 🎉
- Join us on Monday 15 Dec for a presentation on Accessibility in Microsoft products from Ben Watt, a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft! We'll cover Windows 11, Microsoft 365 Apps, and Copilot, with online and in-person attendees both welcome. Register: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/accessibil...
- 🎉We're delighted to be welcoming the first visitors to our new Hutton Hub! This state-of-the-art development offers a space to collaborate and use cutting-edge technology to help the north-east achieve a just transition. 💻 Find out more 👉 youtu.be/3o2V9DGz4kE?...
- 🍩 Missed Professor Kate Raworth’s brilliant 46th TB Macaulay Lecture on Doughnut Economics? Don’t worry! 🙌 Hosted with the Macaulay Development Trust, the full talk + Q&A is now on YouTube 🎥 Watch here 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnyB...
- 🤩 Thanks to the 400+ who joined us at the 46th TB Macaulay Lecture with economist Kate Raworth! 🍩 She shared her revolutionary Doughnut Economics & global applications. 🙌 A huge thanks as well to the Macaulay Development Trust and the EICC staff for making this amazing evening possible!👏
- 🍄 Celebrate Fungus Day UK at our Invergowrie campus! 🚶♀️ Join our fungal foray, explore medicinal mushrooms, & discover fungi-powered packaging + research projects. Free event, Sun 5 Oct, 12–4pm - no booking needed! 🔬 More: ow.ly/Rmry50X5Cm2
- 🤖🌳 Inspired by a Hutton project, Aberdeen teens Anjishnu Bhaduri, Adwait Sharma & Jayawant Sivarajan built ThistleDroid—a robot that tests land for reforestation & plants seeds! 🥇 Winners at #WROUK2025, they’ll rep GB in Singapore this Nov. 👉 ow.ly/tr9X50X4nYe
- 🌟 Great to see our HydroGlen Development Officer, Niamh Carr, named in Aberdeen’s 30 Under 30! Chosen for her innovation, expertise & leadership, she’s coordinating a Just Transition Funded project helping farmers & communities switch to green hydrogen. ow.ly/ONlH50X2LOL
- ⏳ Just one week to go until the 46th #TBMacLecture! World-renowned economist Professor Kate Raworth is set give a talk on her revolutionary concept of #DoughnutEconomics 📅 1 October | 🎟️ Tickets are sold out, but you can still join the waitlist! More: ow.ly/NYVI50X1ytj
- Thank you to everyone who attended our two sold-out #forensic science focused events on Monday! 🔬✨ Tonight, don’t miss our final event of this year’s #AberdeenScienceFestival: “Using Virtual Reality to Support a #JustTransition” 🕕6:00–8:00 pm More: ow.ly/S5TS50WWNwk
- 🌱✨ Hutton scientists are supporting smallholder farmers in Ghana to adopt climate-smart, regenerative agriculture. ✅ Restoring soils & boosting yields ✅ Using soil sensors feeding into a MRV platform developed at Hutton More: ow.ly/lU1a50WYOVm
- 📢 It is #NationalPostdocAppreciationWeek, a chance to celebrate the contributions of our postdoctoral researchers 🔬 Within the Hutton's Postgraduate School, our focus is supporting PhD students through mentoring, training & research excellence. More: ow.ly/KusE50WXsnE
- 🌍 Soil is the foundation of life, but it’s under threat. Scientists at the Hutton believe we can learn from #ClimateChange communication to protect our #soils. 🗣️ Clear messaging & trusted voices could bridge the gap between concern & change. More: ow.ly/uY2C50WVFSr
- 🐝✨ Did you know #HoneyBees can help track “forever chemicals” in our environment? A new study from the Hutton and University of Graz shows #bees are effective bioindicators for #PFAS contamination, offering a natural way to monitor pollution. More: ow.ly/tzj650WUugK
- 🌍 As part of #CWNE25, we invite you to a Farming Taster Day at #Glensaugh Research Farm: 🚶♂️ Farm tour showcasing climate-positive farming 🌱 Learn about peatland restoration, GHG reduction & agroforestry 📅 25th September | 🕙 Tours 10am & 2pm More: ow.ly/NhJx50WTQu5
- 🌾 #Flax, once a staple of Scottish agriculture, could play a key role in sustainable textiles and low-impact #farming today. We’ve been working with Soil Association Scotland through the Flax Field Lab to test this crop’s potential. More: ow.ly/1Spp50WT7Cr
- 🐗 Once extinct in Britain, wild boar are back in Scotland’s forests — and their numbers are set to rise. New Hutton research predicts the population will grow from 1,472 to 2,399 by 2075, spreading across the Highlands, Perthshire, Moray & more. More: ow.ly/axCq50WPxBr
- 🥔 Hutton scientists from the National #Potato Innovation Centre (#NPIC), have introduced two new potato varieties to #Kenya. 🌱 Malaika & Glen combine local grower traits with resistance to devastating #PCN pests. Boosting yields & #FoodSecurity. More: ow.ly/qGtY50WK4nI
- 🌱 As part of #CWNE25, join the team behind the Climate-Positive Farming Initiative at Glensaugh for a day of farm walks and indoor displays. 🚶 Each walk lasts 90 minutes – sturdy footwear is recommended! 📅 25th September | 🕙 Tours 10am & 2pm More: ow.ly/5vIp50WHr2V
- 🌳 New research from the #DiversiTree project shows that introducing species such as oak, sycamore, birch, Scots pine, beech and Norway spruce into UK Sitka #forests can: ✅ Boost biodiversity ✅ Increase resilience ✅ Support long-term sustainability More: ow.ly/vvsE50WGujK
- 🥔 Just a week ago, #PotatoesinPractice2025 brought together over 670 attendees for a day of innovation and collaboration featuring: 🗣️ Four expert-led seminars 📢 56 exhibitors 🌾 Live working demonstrations 🚜 Display of static machinery 💬 Feedback: ow.ly/AhHJ50WFSti
- 📢 #ICYMI, Prof Lorna Dawson, Head of Soil Forensics at the Hutton, was featured in the documentary series Murder Case. In The Vanishing Cyclist, she helps police crack one of Scotland’s most unusual missing-person cases. 📺 Watch now: ow.ly/McTv50WF7tm
- 📢 The Scottish Government has published its draft Strategy for 2027–2032: Environment, Natural Resources & Agriculture Research, and it wants your views. 🗣️ Your feedback will help shape the future of environmental & agricultural research in Scotland More: ow.ly/eC7s50WCFoj
- 🌱 The James Hutton Institute is proud to join the €4.9M EU-funded #CROPSAFE project. Led by the @ua.es, the project aims to develop sustainable, bio-based pest control solutions for key #FoodCrops, supporting the EU’s Green Deal. More: ow.ly/1ys850WAyHg
- 🌊 A new review co-authored by a Hutton researcher reveals how current #RiverHealth reporting methods could be masking real gains in #biodiversity. The @ukceh.bsky.social led study calls for a shift toward biodiversity audits to better reflect ecological recovery. More: ow.ly/uKfV50WyyRz
- 🥔Just one week to go until #PotatoesInPractice2025! Join us for a full day of innovation, featuring: 🌱 New variety trials & crop protection 🚜 Live machinery demonstrations 👩🔬 Industry expert discussions 📅 7th August |📍Balruddery Farm | 🕘 9am 🎟️ ow.ly/X8Fy50WxYNZ
- 📢 We are #hiring an End User Computing Technical Lead 💻 The purpose of the role is to provide comprehensive technical expertise in managing & maintaining our end user #computing environment within the Institute. 📍 Location: Aberdeen or Dundee Apply: ow.ly/OZeW50WxcH7
- Great to host @jamiehepburn.bsky.social at our Invergowrie campus this week! 👋🔬 He met BioSS scientists to hear how stats and modelling help tackle real-world challenges—from animal disease to clean energy and farm data. 💻🌾🐄 Thanks for visiting, Minister! 🙌
- 🌿 Join us for a Nature Open Day at St Fittick’s Park, Aberdeen! 📅 Sat 27 July | ⏰ 10am–3pm Hosted by NESBiP, the drop-in session features guided walks, workshops & a BioBlitz—helping ID as many species as possible!🐛 To book walks & find out more: ow.ly/gui850WuwUL
- We’re proud to support #FarmSafetyWeek 2025 (21–25 July), alongside 400+ organisations across the UK & Ireland. At the Hutton, we know that farming shouldn’t rely on luck - safety is everyone’s job. 🚜🦺 Learn more: www.yellowwellies.org #JamesHutton #FarmSafety
- 🌱 What happens when economic theory meets local action? Ahead of the #TBMacLecture, explore how our speaker, Kate Raworth’s, #DoughnutEconomics is shaping a Swedish town, and join us in Edinburgh to hear more. 🎟️: ow.ly/lAcp50WrKpv 📖 @theguardian.com : ow.ly/mbqo50WrKpt
- 📢 Our economic impact report shows that in 23/24 for every £1 of Scottish Government funding, we delivered more than £15 in value for the #UKEconomy, with £9 retained in Scotland Local impact ✅ £40M in #Dundee 📍 £22M in #Aberdeen 💼 2,575 UK jobs supported More: ow.ly/OV0i50WqGvG
- 📢 Don’t miss Prof Lorna Dawson on #ScotlandTonight this Thursday. 🔬 A fascinating look at the role of #soil in justice, science and Scotland’s future. 🕗 8:30 pm | 📺 #STV If you miss it, you can catch up with the episode here: ow.ly/nPgx50WpURK
- 🫐 We were delighted to welcome BBC Radio 4's #FarmingToday programme to our Dundee site to speak to Susan McCallum, #Blueberry Researcher, to introduce the first UK bred blueberry! 🎉 🎧 Find out what the innovative blueberry is called, from 04:10 > ow.ly/TbSe50WpM8w
- 🎨 Painter and filmmaker, Ronnie Forbes, was delighted to visit the Hutton to view his painting, Et in Arcadia Ego, in the Crop Innovation Centre (CIC). 🖌️Ronnie was Leverhulme Trust’s artist in residence at the Hutton between 2007 & 2009. More: ow.ly/wYlp50Wp5c7
- 🌿 What makes green & blue spaces truly valuable? Our researchers have identified 72 indicators to assess the quality, not just the quantity, of green & blue spaces in Scotland. Defining what makes these spaces effective, functional & sustainable. More: ow.ly/mGNX50WogAx
- 🌿 It was great to welcome so many land managers, farmers, foresters, researchers & policy makers to #Glensaugh #ResearchFarm for the Farm #Woodland Forum Annual Meeting! Organised in collaboration with @uniofaberdeen.bsky.social Learn more about Glensaugh: ow.ly/JwU250WofsE
- Curious about mycorrhizal fungi? 🍄🌱 These underground organisms form relationships with the roots of most plants - but some species could vanish before we can study them fully. More in @uk.theconversation.com, by Prof Katie Field & the Hutton’s Dr Tom Parker: ow.ly/XMe050WnEXL
- Great to see Hutton researcher Dr Rupert Hough quoted in this recent @theguardian.com article about sewage sludge! One of our studies is also featured—it found microplastics rose by 1,450% in a North Lanarkshire field after 4 years of sludge-spreading. More: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- 📣 Calling livestock farmers in the Borders! Join Hutton researchers to share your views on bluetongue disease at workshops in: 🐑 St Boswells – Tues 29 July 🐄 Carlisle – Wed 30 July 🐐 Lockerbie – Thurs 31 July 6:30–9pm each night. More here🔗: ow.ly/ruPf50Wn79r
- 🍓 Fruit for the Future is just over a week away! Join us on Thurs 17 July, 3–6pm at our Invergowrie campus for field tours, demos & the latest in soft fruit research. A must-attend for growers, scientists & industry! 🎟️ Sign up: www.hutton.ac.uk/event/fruit-... #FruitForTheFuture2025
- 🌍🚜 We are excited to announce that Dr Mark Wilkinson has been appointed as Co-Director of our #ClimatePositive Farming Initiative #CPFI. The CPFI at #Glensaugh seeks to tackle the climate & #biodiversity crises with transformative #farming. More: ow.ly/y7S150WkU2K
- 📢 We're #hiring | Philanthropy Manager 🌍 Working as part of the #Philanthropy team, the post holder will manage a portfolio of charitable trusts and foundations. 📍 Location: Flexible - #Aberdeen or #Dundee Apply now: ow.ly/aL8S50Wkhuu #AberdeenJobs #DundeeJobs
- 🌾 Join us to explore over 5,000 field plots showcasing the diverse @intbarleyhub.bsky.social research projects. Discover how we’re harnessing barley’s genetic diversity to tackle various challenges. 📅 15 July | 🕐 Tours at 1pm, 2pm & 3pm |📍Balruddery Farm 🎟️: ow.ly/MAn550WjFrU
- Not long to go until #PotatoesInPractice2025🥔 Hosted by Hutton through the National Potato Innovation Centre (#NPIC), in partnership with @srucnews.bsky.social & Agrii Catch the 2024 highlights 🎥: ow.ly/81wM50WiVou 📅 7th August |📍Balruddery Farm | 🕘 9am 🎟️ ow.ly/PTVV50WiVot
- 🌸 Brighten up your summer with #wildflowers! Join #NESBiP across the North East for FREE wildflower & scything workshops! 🌿 🌱 Learn to collect native seeds 🐝 Support local biodiversity 📍 Events in #Aberdeen, #Moray & #Aberdeenshire More: ow.ly/kGK150WieVy
- We were honoured to host the Guyana Commission as part of the Aberdeen-Guyana Gateway 2025🤝 Their visit included a tour of our soil archive & analytical facilities, followed by an engaging round table discussion on agriculture. #ScotlandGuyana #AgriTechSolutions #Aquaculture
