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May 2002–ongoing: Senior Lecturer Land Resources Sciences, Principla Research Fellow, School of Land, Crop and Food Sciences; The University of Queensland, Australia

As lecturer of Land Resources Sciences at the University of Queensland, Dr Kirchhof has both led and collaborated on over half a dozen projects, and supervised numerous research staff and students. His research has focussed on:

• Soil–Water relationships;
• Conservation Agriculture and Irrigation scheduling
• Soil erosion
• Water and Nutrient Balances;
• Spatial Variability of Soil Properties from Ped to Landscape Scales;
• Dry-land Salinity Management;
• Water Recycling
• Computer Modelling of Water Flow with Special Reference to Variability and assessment of deep drainage
• Knowledge Management;

2011-15 Course leader: Australia Awards in Africa Dryland Farming/Soil and Water conservation Short Course Awards, UniQuest; Australia and Africa, Dr Kirchhof led the design and delivery of the AusAID-funded Dryland Farming Short Course Award, contracted to UniQuest/UQ-ID through GRM International, which was delivered twice a year in 2011 and 2014.

Countries of work experience: Indonesia, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Burkino Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Kenya, Tunisia, Australia.

Previous postions:

Oct 1997–May 2002: Senior Soil Scientist, Soil Conservation, NSW Agriculture; Australia

Mar 1996–Oct 1997: Soil Physicist, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture; Ibadan, Nigeria

Dec 1991–Mar 1996: Research Fellow, Department of Agriculture, The University of Queensland; Brisbane

Jan 1989–Dec 1991: Soil Scientist, CASSIRO Ltd, Wauchope, NSW

Not only do soils provide humans with 98.8% of our food, they also provide humanity with a broad range of other services such as carbon storage and greenhouse gas regulation. However, soils are also the most complex ecosystem in the world – it is this complexity that forms the basis of Peter's research at The University of Queensland (UQ). As a Soil Scientist, Peter is actively involved in the management and conservation of soil; one of the basic elements which sustain life. Whilst soil takes hundreds or thousands of years to form, it can be destroyed in a matter of years if not managed correctly. The management and conservation of the soil-environment is arguably the biggest challenge we face as we move into the future. We need new ideas to solve the world’s problems.

The aim of Peter's research is to increase plant growth in soils that are degraded and infertile, both in Australia and developing countries. He has a demonstrated ability to lead outstanding research programs across a range of inter-connected themes, spanning in scale from fundamental research to landscape-scale projects, with this demonstrating a unique ability to link industry partners with high quality research. Peter's research spans the areas of agricultural production, water chemistry, and waste disposal, currently focusing on (i) the global development of advanced and novel methodologies for investigation of plants and soils, (ii) behaviour of nutrients, fertilizers, and carbon in soils, and (iii) plant growth in degraded soils.

Peter is Past President of Soil Science Australia (QLD), a former ARC Future Fellow, recipient of the JK Taylor Gold Medal in Soil Science (2018), and recipient of the CG Stephens Award in Soil Science (2005).

Dr. Li has been making noteworthy strides as a Research Fellow at the University of Queensland since June 2023, demonstrating his broad expertise in environmental science. His current research endeavors are focused on soil organic carbon, mentored by the university's esteemed soil research group.

His scholarly journey was rooted in Shandong University, where he acquired a Bachelor's degree in Soil Science (2011-2015). His intellectual curiosity drove him to the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he accomplished a Master's degree in Soil Ecology (2015-2018) and later a Ph.D. in 2022. Simultaneously, he pursued a second Ph.D. at Griffith University from 2020 to 2023. This rigorous academic pathway led him to a brief but enriching Postdoctoral tenure at the Technical University of Denmark from February to May 2023.

Dr. Li's research portfolio is a testament to his intellectual versatility and commitment. It encompasses a variety of critical environmental issues, ranging from sustainable livelihoods for pastoralists in grassland ecosystems to geospatial pattern analysis, grassland degradation management, soil organic carbon studies, and wood decay fungi and community ecology. He also excels in employing bibliometric/scientometric and machine learning analysis in ecological studies. With such a wide gamut of expertise, Dr. Li stands at the nexus of several environmental science disciplines, poised to make substantial contributions.

In recognition of his academic excellence, Dr. Li has earned prestigious accolades. He received the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad in 2021, ranking him among the top 500 worldwide. The following year, he was distinguished with the President's Award for Excellence from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, positioning him in the top 400 recipients.

Dr. Guoquan Liu has more than ten years experience in sorghum tissue culture and genetic transformation. He developed a highly efficient sorghum particle transformation system in 2012. Since then, hundreds of transgenic plants have been regenerated from tens of constructs that are invoved in plant disease resistant genes (e.g. Lr34), report gene (gfp), specific-promoters (e.g. alpha- beta- kafirin, A2, LSG), G proteins etc.. He has trained many students how to transform sorghum including honor students, master students, and PhD students.

He has focused on improving sorghum grain yield and grain quality through biotechnologies including genetic transformation, genome-editing, synthetic biology, and plant apomixis.

A/Prof Jaquie Mitchell's activities are focused around two core themes.Jaquie has worked on various Research for Development (R4D) projects based in South-East Asia with the aim of improving productivity and livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Currently she leads two R4D projects one focused on developing an integrated weed management package for mechanised and broadcast lowland crop production systems in Laos and Cambodia. While the other is a first of its kind, public private partnership between ACIAR and a private agribusiness company, aiming to establish a highly productive, sustainable, traceable, quality-assured value chain for rice in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, benefiting rice-farming households and meeting the market requirements of SunRice’s established global customers.

The second research theme includes examining genetic variation for resistance to abiotic stress, such as high and low-temperature tolerance at the reproductive stage in rice, the advantage of reduced-tillering gene in wheat grown under terminal drought, the effect of salinity and water-deficit on production of volatile compounds in aromatic rice. In close collaboration with the Australian rice industry, Jaquie currently leads two AgriFutures funded pre-breeding projects aimed to improve lodging resistance, cold tolerance and aerobic adaptation for high water productivity rice. In addition to exploring genetic variation in physiological traits and genomic regions of importance to improved water productivity, genomic tools are under development to improve breeding efficiency for the Riverina. Based at The University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, Jaquie provides specialist guidance and assistance to undergraduate and postgraduate research students within crop physiology and agronomy with extensive experience conducting research projects focused on abiotic stress, pre-breeding and rice cropping systems research.

Plant nutrition, specialising in tropical root crops.

Since joining the University of Queensland in 1992, Dr. O'Sullivan has completed a series of projects characterising deficiencies and toxicities of mineral nutrients, in species of sweetpotato, aroids and yams, and identifying and remediating nutritional disorders in semi-subsistence production contexts in collaboration with project partners in Pacific Island countries.

Professor Andries B. Potgieter is a Principal Research Fellow at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), University of Queensland, and an international leader in Digital Agriculture. With a career spanning over 35 years across government, industry, and academia, his research integrates remote sensing, climate forecasting, and crop–climate modelling to support resilient, data-driven decision-making in agriculture. He is currently a key research collaborator in the $36 million GRDC-funded Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) initiative, where he leads digital analytics activities within UQ.

Professor Potgieter’s work focuses on developing predictive tools that combine satellite Earth observation, machine learning, and crop simulation to improve seasonal forecasting, crop monitoring, and risk management. He has pioneered widely adopted innovations such as the CropID tool, now commercialised via Data Farming Pty Ltd, and his models have influenced decision frameworks at Statistics Canada and the FAO. His 114 peer-reviewed publications have accrued over 4,000 citations, and his Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) places him in the top 5% of researchers globally.

He has built a thriving interdisciplinary research program and mentoring pipeline, supervising PhD, Masters, and MoDS students, and supporting postdoctoral researchers who now work at AWS, Sugar Research Australia, and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. His leadership in global partnerships has positioned UQ as a preferred academic collaborator for international institutions tackling climate-smart agriculture.

Current projects

• Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) – Digital analytics for yield forecasting and decision tools for grain growers (GRDC)

• CropVision – Satellite remote sensing and AI for field-scale crop production forecasting (ARC Linkage)

• RiskSSmart – Integration of Earth observation and climate models for sorghum risk mitigation (SmartSat CRC)

• Root Phenomics – Linking above-ground sensing to root system architecture to accelerate phenotyping of drought-tolerant cereals (GRDC; Chief Investigator)

• ARC Training Centre for Predictive Breeding in Agricultural Futures – Developing next-generation tools and training pathways for climate-resilient crop improvement (ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centres; Collaborating Investigator)

Previous research highlights

• Late Maturity Alpha Amylase (LMA) Risk Modelling – National-scale risk prediction framework for wheat quality (GRDC)

• CropPhen – High-throughput phenotyping for crop type and growth stage detection via drone/UAV (GRDC)

• SIMLESA and YieldShield – Groundbreaking work in food insecurity mapping and climate risk insurance across eastern and southern Africa

Dr Luis Silva is an Associate Professor at QAAFI, University of Queensland, leading research in ruminant nutrition. Luis comes from a coffee and dairy farm and brings perspective from another major producer of beef, Brazil, where he had a previous appointment at the University of Sao Paulo. With large international experience, Luis has spent a sabbatical year at AgriBio, Melbourne, and has completed his PhD at Michigan State University, working with the nutritional/physiological modulation of ruminant development. Luis has considerable research linking cattle nutrition with physiological mechanisms and genomic tools and has coordinated several research projects investigating mechanisms to improve the efficiency of tropical cattle production. His work is published in 51 peer-reviewed scientific articles and several book chapters. Luis has also acted as the main advisor for 7 PhD students and 16 Master students.

Dr Karl Robinson joined QAAFI’s Centre for Horticultural Science (frm. Centre for Plant Sciences) in 2012 as a molecular biologist specialising in RNAi applications against animal and plant viruses. Karl received his doctoral degree from The University of Queensland, School of Veterinary Science in 2009 and was awarded the 2009 UQ Deans Award. Karl has held postdoctoral research positions within Queensland Government/The University of Queensland - Agricultural Biotechnology Centre and the Viral Pathogenesis and Vaccine Group at the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Organisation, The University of Saskatchewan, Canada, before joining The Mitter Group. In 2017, Dr Robinson was awarded the Queensland State Government - Advance Queensland Reseach Fellowship to conduct research into alternative insect and virus control methods using RNAi and nanotechnology. Currently, a senior research fellow, supported by Grains Research Development Corporation and Horticulture Innovation Australia, Karl is leading research into spray-on RNAi applications for viruses and insects in high value grain and horticultural crops. Karl supervises several higher degree research students and delivers the plant virology lectures of the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences 3rd year virology course at UQ.

Professor Dr. Rodriguez is a biophysicist trained at Wageningen University, specializing in crop ecophysiology and systems modelling to enhance adaptation in broadacre crops. His recent research focuses on trait physiology and high-throughput field phenotyping for drought tolerance in grain crops. He combines empirical research, crop modelling, and data analytics to develop more profitable, sustainable, and resilient crops and cropping systems. Dr. Rodriguez collaborates with institutions in Australia and various countries in eastern and southern Africa, Indonesia, Latin America, and China. He served as President of the Australian Society of Agronomy and organized the 2022 Australian Agronomy Conference. He has contributed to the Academic Board of the University of Queensland and its Research and Innovation Committee. Dr. Rodriguez is the founding editor-in-chief of Nature’s npj Sustainable Agriculture and serves as an Expert Advisor for the Independent Science for Development Council of CGIAR. He is also a member of the College of Experts at the University of Queensland’s Global Change Institute and sits on the Editorial Board of multiple academic journals.

Dr Shapter's background was originally in Agricultural Science and higher education which evolved to the completion of her PhD in molecular genetics in 2008. Prior to her current appointments she was the senior researcher on ARC linkage, Australian Flora Foundation and RIRDC research grants looking at the genetic foundations of domestication and adaptation in Australian native grasses. She supervised two HDR students and has a strong publication record in this field. Her research interests centre on identifying and developing practical applications for gene sequencing. Fran is passionate about teaching and has worked as a facilitator commercially and trained early career researchers and PhD candidates in Project Management, IP and commercialisation and Leadership. She was a participant in the 2020 summit and was appointed to the federal advisory Rural R&D Council in 2009. Dr Shapter was also a sitting member of the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator's Ethics and Community Consultative Committee, 2016-2020.

Fran began tutoring at the UQ School of Veterinary Science in 2011, in large animal production, parasitology and microbiology. Since then she has held a variety of teaching, research and professional roles based around project management, curriculum design and blended learning design. She was the project manager for a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) grant which developed 40 vertically and horizontally integrated, online, adaptive tutorials for veterinary science students and was co-author on the manual developed by this project. She assisted with the development of a new flexible delivery laboratory animal science course in 2015 and delivers 5 weeks of online learning units into this course currently. She has been part of the SoTL research and evaluation associated with both these projects and has reported outcomes at University showcases annually since 2016.

In 2017 Fran became the new Student Clinical Skills Hub Coordinator, a purpose-built, state-of-the-art self-directed learning facility for students of veterinary science. Whilst undertaking this role student usage, resource availability and online support for the Hub has increased more than tenfold. Fran's aim is to provide a safe, authentic, self-directed learning environment where students can practice their clinical skills in accordance with individual competences, beyond the scheduled contact hours of their programs and further enhance their capacity for self-directed, lifelong learning whilst acknowledging the vast array of qualifications, previous training, life experience and cultural backgrounds each student brings with them to the Hub.In 2020 Fran recieved a UQ Teaching Excellence Award due to the demonstarted impact of the SVS Student Clinical Skills Hub.

In 2019 Fran was appointed as a Lecturer in Veterinary Science, while continuing her role as the Hub's coordinator. She continues to maintain her teaching roles into the veterinary program in animal handling, animal production, reproduction, microbiology, parasitology and plant identification. Fran has an additional role in the School with regard to asissting with the design, development and integration of blended learning resources, after working with the Science faculties blended learning design team in 2018. However her SoTL portfolio is best showcased by the development of the online learning community and training resources she has developed for the Student Clinical Skills Hub. As of June 2021, Fran has also taken on the role of the School of Veterinary Science Honours Program Coordinator.

Dr Millicent Smith is a Senior Lecturer in Crop Physiology at The University of Queensland. Her research is focused on understanding the physiological mechanisms that underpin yield stability and quality in grain legumes. Millicent works closely with breeders, both in Australia and overseas, to develop improved knowledge on abiotic stress adaptation and tools to accelerate genetic gain. Dr Smith leads a national research project funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation focused on deploying novel phenotyping and genomics approaches to fast-track the development of new chickpea varieties that display lower yield loss in response to high temperature. Millicent is passionate about training the next generation of plant scientists. She leads a growing research team of postdoctoral scientists, postgraduate and undergraduate research students and has been awarded for her innovative teaching approaches applied to large undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

My research focusses on soil health in cropping and pasture systems, specialising in soil carbon and soil organic matter dynamics, microbial ecology, and plant-soil interactions. I am interested in how agronomic interventions impact soil health and in developing methods to reverse soil fertility decline and build healthier, more productive soils. This includes understanding the impacts of tillage, cover cropping, crop rotational diversity, nutrient management, and organic amendments on soil functional processes and crop development and productivity.

I have extensive experience in designing and analyzing field and glasshouse experiments and implementing advanced statistical models using R. I have excellent verbal and written communication skills, maintain positive relationships with collaborators both nationally and internationally, and publish manuscripts in peer-reviewed scientific journals.