Mr Benjamin Jackson
Advanced Research Assistant
Alumni
This person is a member of Sanger Institute Alumni.
Throughout his more than three-year tenure, Ben spearheaded the development of bespoke sample-preparation, high-molecular-weight (HMW) DNA extraction, and DNA-shearing methodologies. He architected and optimised dedicated DNA pipelines for ultra-low-input bryophyte species, unlocking genomic data generation for some of the programme’s most technically demanding taxa. Further, he implemented customised wash regimens for recalcitrant plant tissues, markedly elevating HMW DNA integrity and PacBio HiFi sequencing outcomes. Collectively, these innovations accelerated the Core Laboratory’s throughput and empowered the Tree of Life programme to advance toward its ambition of delivering thousands of high-quality plant reference genomes.
Ben joined the Wellcome Sanger Institute in June 2022 as an Advanced Research Assistant within the Core Laboratory of the Tree of Life programme. His work focuses on continually improving the team’s processes through R&D projects aimed at advancing the sequencing of recalcitrant plant species, contributing to the goal of generating high-quality reference genomes for all 70,000 species across Britain and Ireland.