Dr Anya Perera

Anya is Deputy Head of School in ARU's Writtle School of Agriculture, Animal and Environmental Science (AAES). She brings over 30 years of experience in curriculum design, assessment quality assurance and enhancement to current delivery. She was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2014 and is a specialist in crop health, crop growth and production systems.

Email: [email protected]

Background

Anya’s extensive knowledge of HE horticulture, agriculture, and teaching excellence draws on over a decade of external institutional reviews in the UK and abroad. She is a national reviewer of teaching excellence and has overseen an array of disciplines from conservation to art and design.

Passionate about student success, she has a proven track record of bridging disciplines and interlinking HE and the private sector to enhance the student experience. She uses her plant science and plant pathology knowledge to advocate for sustainable, novel crop production techniques and the value of green space for community health and well-being.

Research interests

• Plant optimisation for agri-food / fresh produce
• Integrated production systems including CEA
• Agro-ecological regenerative practice
• Climate smart resilient cropping
• Urban agriculture
• Conservation
• Nature-based therapy health and well-being

Areas of expertise

• Plant science
• Plant pathology
• Crop production systems
• Biological control
• Education for sustainable development
• Curriculum and assessment design

Areas of research supervision

PhD supervision and internal and external examination experience on crop production, novel crops, postharvest quality and plant pathology and conservation.

Teaching

• BSc (Hons) Horticulture
• BSc (Hons) Agriculture
• BSc (Hons) Agriculture (Regenerative Systems)
• MSc Crop Production / MBA Agribusiness
• Certificate of Higher Education

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Botany University of Durham
• MSc Technology of Crop Protection University of Reading
• Plant Pathology Imperial College
• FHEA

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

2018 Consultancy project on Benchmarking for the Moroccan Association of Citrus Producers

Selected recent publications

Ranasingha, R., Perera, A., Tabugbo, K., Vasilev, V.(2025). Enhancing Plant Growth and Yield Under Reduced Water and Nutrient Conditions: The Role of Biostimulants in Improving Irrigation Efficiency and Drought Resilience in Soilless Strawberry Cultivation Under Glasshouse. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment, 2025; 4:e70082 https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70082

Ranasingha R, Perera A, Baghalian K, Gerofotis C. (2024) Amino acid‐based biostimulants and microbial biostimulants promote the growth, yield and resilience of strawberries in soilless glasshouse cultivation. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment. 3:e12113. https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.12113

Lorch-Schierning, E., Perera, A., and Baghalian, K.. (2024) Using Vertical Farming Systems for Propagating Everbearing Strawberry: Physiological and Technological Feasibility Assessment’. Journal of Berry Research, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 105-126, 2024 DOI: 10.3233/JBR-230051

Wai, M. Lorch-Schierning E., Perera A. and Baghalian, K. (2024) Enhancing lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) propagation in vertical farming system: Investigating the impact of LED red-to-blue ratios and subsequent post-potting growth dynamics. Industrial Crops & Products 219 119107 vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 105-126, 2024 DOI: 10.3233/JBR-230051

Perera, A.M.B. (2015) Developing strategic coherence on employability. Case study. Embedding an Employability Strategic Enhancement Programme HEA and internal publication

Perera A.M.B (2014) Redefining scholarship in the context of change Internal publication

Morgan, J.E.& Perera, A.M.B. (2012) Research Led Teaching: Formative Work to Support Student Academic Development in Biological Sciences CREST / Guild HE publication

Bincoletto, C., Perera, A.M.B. and Hobson P.R. (2015) Wild food foraging and the theory of ´´Econics“: bridging the nature-culture divide. Healthy environment, healthy lives conference.

Morgan, J.E.& Perera, A.M.B. (2012) Research Led Teaching: Formative Work to Support Student Academic Development in Biological Sciences CREST / Guild HE publication

Perera, A.M.B. & Morgan, J.E. (2011). Student perceptions of the value of formative assessment in their academic development. Acta Horticulturae. 920. 141-148. 10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.920.17.