Emerging scientists have received scholarships to drive innovation across Western Australia’s agriculture and food sector
Ten emerging scientists have received scholarships under the second round of the WA Agricultural Research Collaboration (WAARC) Postgraduate Research Scholarship Program.
The program is just one of many research and development initiatives being delivered by WAARC, with the successful scholarship recipients set to drive innovation across WA’s agriculture food sector.
Scholarship recipients will pursue research projects in crop genetics, livestock production, weed management, agtech, biosecurity, climate resilience and natural capital.
They will also be mentored by leading scientists from CSIRO, Grower Group Alliance and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
The program will be delivered in partnership with WAARC’s three university members – Curtin, Murdoch and the University of Western Australia – with student researchers to gain valuable firsthand experience across the industry.
“The WAARC Postgraduate Research Scholarship Program is an exciting initiative connecting future industry leaders with our universities to contribute high-impact research and development across Western Australia’s evolving agriculture and food sector,” WA agriculture and food minister Jackie Jarvis says.
“The scholarship program embeds students in WA’s regional networks, giving them hands-on experience with farming systems and a better understanding of the industry’s priorities.”
Scholarship recipients, their university placements and research topics are:
Curtin University:
- Grace Foley – Effector discovery in Phaeosphaeria avenaria and their roles in septoria avenea blotch of oat
- Mara Fabienne Schaefer – Molecular and phenotypic characterisation of Rhizoctonia in wheat
- Tyrone Huckstepp – Understanding the psychological determinants of sustainable dietary practices in Australia
Murdoch University:
- Christopher Reed – Clean grain, clear value: Genomic solutions to the barley black point challenge using pangenomes and precision breeding
- Jack Weatherhead – Genetic and environmental effects on grain weight and alkaloid content in narrow-leafed lupin
- Lilijana Nicholls – Multiplexing: Developing a method of using environmental DNA for total biological screening in agriculture
- Tarkjot Kaur – Artificial intelligence-assisted genomic prediction for future climate change breeding
The University of Western Australia:
- Whitney Payne – Hot and hormonal: Investigating the interaction between thermal stress and reproduction in livestock
- Jaime Phillips – Designing natural capital markets on agricultural land: How do the experiences of southern Australian farmers across the continent help to balance emerging challenges and opportunities in Western Australia?
- Luk Lam – Novel weed management through multi-modal data integration of satellite and drone imaging for precision agriculture in Western Australia.
