A Hadlow College horticulture student has been awarded a Discovery Fellowship by Thanet Earth.
Richard Killian is in his second year studying for an honours degree in commercial horticulture at Hadlow College and the award will see him in working on new product development (NPD) at glasshouse grower Thanet Earth.
Robert James, technical manager at Thanet Earth, said: “We have identified NPD as a clear opportunity for Thanet Earth to help provide a student with new skills and genuine commercial experience – something that can be very hard to provide in a college setting.”
Killian will be paid to spend nine months working in a dedicated glasshouse environment at the college equipped with a growing system comparable to a commercial glasshouse.
It is hoped that the Discovery Fellowship will yield new information for Thanet Earth to take forward to commercial greenhouse trials and ultimately onto retailers’ shelves.
Killian took part in a selection process for the award – the second such award Thanet Earth has made in as many years. The process involved a number of high calibre candidates who each gave a presentation and underwent an interview.
The selection panel was made up of horticulturists including personnel from Thanet Earth and was chaired by Robert James, who devised the fellowship.
