Dr Monika Murcha
University of Western Australia Molecular Biology Our rising population means that we need to implement strategies now to increase global food production by 50%. This is not helped by limited land availability, shrinking nutrient resources and the impact of climate change. One strategy is to develop plants with more harvestable products, that are super-efficient, can…
Read More »Dr Nadim Darwish
Curtin University Nanotechnology Just like kids turn plastic Lego cubes into a castle, dragon or a car, chemists use similar concepts to create structures and materials to form a range of products from drugs that heal to glues that seal. Dr Darwish’s research explores using individual atoms and molecules as “Lego” to create the tiniest…
Read More »Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker
Curtin University Astrophysics When we look out into the Universe, we learn a tremendous amount about how it works, and where things come from. If we only used our eyes to observe, we’d never know this, but fortunately we have telescopes that allow us to see every detail of the Universe. The field that Dr…
Read More »Dr Nicolas Hart
Edith Cowan University Oncology and Carcinogenesis, Exercise Medicine Dr Hart is a cancer researcher, focusing on the ability of targeted exercise to slow tumour growth, prevent new tumours forming, delay disease progression and increase survival in advanced cancer patients. In particular, his research examines how tumours in the human body respond to different types of…
Read More »Dr Sofie De Meyer
Murdoch University Agricultural Microbiology Australia is the world leader in lamb-meat production, and we are among the biggest consumers. In order to support this industry, we need to secure enough feed for the sheep. Dr De Meyer’s group investigated similar climates around the world and found a plant called Lebeckia in South Africa, which is…
Read More »Dr Gonzalo Estavillo
The Australian National University Research Field: Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology Dr Estavillo’s research into plant defence mechanisms will help us further understand how plants are able to survive adverse conditions such as very hot and dry seasons. His results are now being used by industry to develop crop plants that will grow well in…
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