UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA
Research Field: Agriculture
What species or variety of a crop we grow, where we grow it and how we manage it can massively
affect the quantity of the vitamins and minerals it contains. Increasing the amounts of these
nutrients can benefit the health of the humans and animals who eat them.
Dr Penrose leads multidisciplinary research teams to investigate how we can make healthier crops
that have more micronutrients and vitamins and less contaminants. She is currently working on
increasing magnesium in pastures to help grow healthier and more productive cows and sheep.
Beth has a passion for science communication – she frequently Tweets about her research and gives
interviews on the radio and to newspapers. She regularly talks with school students worldwide
about plants via Skype a Scientist and chats about her research with farmers at conferences and
meetings. Dr Penrose completed her PhD at the University of Nottingham (UK) in 2016 and is
currently a lecturer at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture at the University of Tasmania.