RHS John MacLeod Annual Lecture

Richard Bardgett’s work explores how soils and their biodiversity regulate the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems and their response to global change. His research mostly focuses on grasslands, where he’s recently been exploring how soil microbial communities and the biogeochemical cycles they regulate respond to and recover from climate extremes. His work has led to foundational insights, but also the practical implementation of below-ground ecological concepts for climate mitigation and grassland restoration. He has written several books on soils and their ecology, including his most recent, The Ecology of Soil: From Communities to Ecosystems (2025).

The John MacLeod Annual Lecture was created to highlight important and inspiring topics on horticultural science. A broad audience of RHS members, scientists, policymakers and the media is invited every year to hear luminaries of the scientific field give talks on major research projects or new areas of thought.

The lecture’s namesake, Professor John MacLeod, who died in 2010, was a plant scientist and Professor of Horticulture at the RHS. He was also chairperson of the RHS Scientific Committee and was a powerful advocate for horticultural science. He was acutely aware of its pressing relevance in sustaining the natural environment and world food supplies.