Powered by the Waite Research Institute
Join for a special seminar featuring three presentations providing snapshots of the research programs led by these scientists at AARI and the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF). The presentations will cover a broad range of topics, from the genetics and breeding of oilseed crops to food additives, processing and product development in Pakistan.
Dr. Timothy Paulitz is a Research Plant Pathologist with the USDA-ARS Wheat Health, Genetics and Quality Research Unit in Pullman, Washington. He will present a summary of the 50 year journey that his research group has undertaken to understand the mechanisms of disease suppression in wheat crops.
David Schmale III is the first Scholar to visit Australia through the new Fulbright AUKUS Scholarship program. A Professor and Director of the Translational Plant Sciences Center at Virginia Tech, David’s research focuses on agricultural biosecurity, biosurveillance systems, atmospheric incursions of plant pathogens, and sensing technologies that strengthen food security and agricultural resilience.
Mark Tester is a Professor of Plant Science at KAUST, Chair of the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Food Security and co-Founder of RedSea LLC (now iyris). Professor Tester leads a research program on salinity tolerance in plants. His aspiration is to unlock seawater by developing a new economically viable agricultural system where salt-tolerant crops are irrigated with partially desalinized seawater or brackish groundwater.
Dr Williams is a forest pathologist with expertise in forest biosecurity, disease ecology, and forest health. Originally from Mt Gambier, she has built her career in WA and NZ where she has spent the last 14 years within what is now the New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science. During this time, Nari led high-impact research programs focused on understanding and managing plant pathogens in forest systems.
Professor Gan has been listed in Stanford University “World Top 2% Scientists” in the field of Food Science and Nutrition and Dietetics. He will work with Adelaide University researchers to establish an integrated research platform between Adelaide University and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University to upcycle South Australian wine and food by-products (e.g., grape pomace and spent grains) into functional ingredients.