Biography

I am a plant scientist interested in the economic, social and environmental sustainability of agriculture. I am currently based at RMIT University and the Food Agility Cooperative Research Centre where I manage a research program to better understand the value of natural capital in farming systems. The program aims to support growers to manage their natural capital (e.g. plants and animals, soil and water) for sustainability, profitability and climate resilience.

I have also been involved in a range of plant biology and biotechnology projects including:
* Creating biodegradable cotton-based fibres with enhanced properties so we can use them to replace synthetic fibres in some applications (CSIRO, 2019 to present)
* Improving renewable plant oil production for food and non-food applications such as bioplastics (CSIRO, 2015-2018)
* Understanding the way algae photosynthesise more efficiently in order to re-engineer crop photosynthesis to improve yields (PhD at the University of Cambridge, 2010-2014).

I am also passionate about diversity and inclusion in STEMM, science communication and outreach, and responsible research and innovation. I am a participant in the 2019-2020 Superstars of STEM program that aims to smash society's gender assumptions about scientists and increase the public visibility of women in STEM. In early 2018, I also spent three weeks in Antarctica with 80 other women scientists as part of a ground-breaking leadership initiative called Homeward Bound.

Video

Featured