From 1974–77 she attended the Department of Biochemistry, King's College London, where she completed her PhD.
[4] Foyer researches plant growth regulation and development under optimal circumstances and in conditions of stress (caused by, for example, lack of water, low temperatures, high light, infestation by aphids).
Her work has a special focus on how cellular reduction/oxidation (redox), homeostasis and signalling interact with phytohormone–mediated pathways, particularly involving abscisic acid, auxin and strigolactones.
The department addresses research problems of intrinsic scientific interest but is always mindful of the needs of agriculture and food security.
In addition to undertaking fundamental studies on model plant species such as Arabidopsis thaliana, research in the Foyer lab includes work which relates the research findings, particularly in relation to enhancing stress tolerance, to crop species such as soybean, maize and barley.