WA Agricultural Research Collaboration

WAARC was pleased to support the next generation of agricultural researchers at The University of Western Australia Institute of Agriculture’s 20th annual Postgraduate Showcase: Frontiers in Agriculture. 🌱

Held yesterday, the Showcase highlighted the breadth of research being undertaken by postgraduate students across agriculture, food, environment and related disciplines. WAARC Director Dr Kelly Pearce, Chief Operating Officer Debra Mullan and Program Lead – Capacity Building & Extension Jenny Crisp attended the event, which featured a diverse range of presentations from emerging researchers.

It was great to hear from a member of WAARC’s extended research cohort, Amber Balfour-Cunningham, who presented on monitoring parasitoid wasps of diamondback moth in WA canola. 🐝 Plus, the team also enjoyed catching up with WAARC scholarship students Whitney Payne and Huyen Pham in the audience.

Congratulations to The UWA Institute of Agriculture on 20 years of showcasing postgraduate research and supporting the development of confident, capable science communicators.👏

🔬WA Agricultural Scientist Spotlight: Dr Samantha Harvie 🔬
Nitrogen is one of the biggest decisions grain growers make, but Dr Harvie is looking beyond the usual protein percentage.

A Research Associate and Associate Lecturer at The University of Western Australia, Dr Harvie is exploring what wheat grain can reveal about nitrogen management, growing conditions and future opportunities to improve grain quality.

Her work in crop nitrogen science and grain proteomics aims to help turn detailed molecular insights into more practical, precise decisions for growers.

For Dr Harvie, agriculture became the place where her science could matter most, connecting molecular biology with research that has real-world value for food production, farm profitability and sustainability.

💻 Read more: https://waarc.org.au/updates/dr-sam-harvie-connecting-nitrogen-science-with-on-farm-decisions/

🌳 Sharing PSHB research beyond WA
The recording from the Polyphagous Shot-Hole Borer (PSHB) National Stakeholder Workshop is now available, offering valuable insights into how Australia can prepare for the long-term management of this significant biosecurity challenge.

Hosted by the Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development (DPIRD), the workshop brought together local, national and international experts to share knowledge on PSHB impacts, management approaches and industry preparedness.

WA Agricultural Research Collaboration (WAARC) Strategic Research Manager Dr Kirsty Moynihan presented an overview of WAARC’s three PSHB research projects and their role in supporting evidence-based responses.

Discussions also focused on:
🔹 Lessons from international experts with experience managing PSHB in orchards and public spaces in the United States and South Africa
🔹 Tree canopy management and strategies to reduce the impact of PSHB on valuable urban and peri-urban trees
🔹 Agricultural industry preparedness, including the importance of monitoring, orchard hygiene and practical support for growers
🔹 Local research underway through Murdoch University, Curtin University and The University of Western Australia, funded by WAARC, which is backed by $25 million in State Government investment, plus some additional funding from DPIRD
🔹 How research, training and stakeholder engagement can support Australia’s transition to long-term management

WAARC will continue sharing findings from these projects with interstate colleagues, helping ensure WA-based research contributes to national preparedness, collaboration and long-term management.

🎥 Watch the workshop recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToOc6K1Vn4M

The WA Agricultural Research Collaboration (WAARC) was proud to sponsor Curtin Agriculture Association’s (CAA) Networking Night on Wednesday, supporting an evening of connection between students and industry.

Held at the Victoria Park Carlisle Bowling Club, the event brought together Curtin students and agricultural professionals for presentations, Q&A, conversation and networking over pizza and drinks.

WAARC Capacity Building and Extension Program Lead Jenny Crisp and Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator Sian Orchard enjoyed speaking with students and industry colleagues at the WAARC booth about the PhD and Honours scholarship opportunities available.

Representatives from InterGrain, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Milne AgriGroup, Farming Management Services Pty Ltd and Planfarm shared insights into career pathways across agriculture and food including internships, graduate programs, training opportunities and roles for university graduates.

The presentations sparked an engaging Q&A, with students asking thoughtful questions about career journeys, industry opportunities and the future of agriculture.

It was valuable for students to hear first-hand career advice, learn more about the organisations represented, and explore the many pathways available across the sector.

Congratulations to the Curtin Ag Association Executive Committee for delivering such a fantastic event and helping strengthen connections between study and agricultural career pathways in Western Australia.

Events like this remind us how important it is to create spaces where students can connect, ask questions, build confidence and discover what’s possible to help shape the future of agriculture.

Curtin University

🌱 Cohort Connect: Growing knowledge through trust, context and connection

WAARC Postgraduate Research Program participants came together this week for another Cohort Connect session, led by Associate Professor Hanabeth Luke from Murdoch University.

The workshop focused on how researchers can engage growers more effectively by moving beyond one-way knowledge delivery and creating genuine two-way conversations.

Drawing on key learnings from the Soil CRC Knowledge-Sharing Project, the session explored how to design presentations, field days and extension events that reflect growers’ priorities, acknowledge the realities of their production systems and create space for researchers to listen, learn and adapt.

Hanabeth shared practical strategies for building trust with growers, including asking better questions, recognising local challenges, tailoring communication styles to different audiences and positioning researchers as collaborators rather than experts talking at people.

💬 Student reflections:
Montana Baddeley, The University of Western Australia, said the session reinforced the value of building grower relationships slowly over time and staying curious about what producers can teach researchers.

Varthini Govindaraju Punithan, Curtin University, said the workshop highlighted the importance of trust, two-way communication and simplifying research so it is clear and relevant for farmers.

Mahnaz Afsar, The University of Western Australia, said the session offered valuable insight into building meaningful grower engagement and evaluating communication strategies.

Through Cohort Connect, WAARC is supporting emerging researchers to build the communication, engagement and industry skills needed to ensure their work has practical impact beyond the lab, glasshouse or trial site.

🚀 Are you an agrifood or agtech SME with an innovative idea ready for the next step?

CSIRO’s Innovate to Grow team has launched a free online program in partnership with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to help start-ups and small to medium businesses focus, test and plan their ideas for collaborative research and development.

Delivered over eight weeks, Innovate to Grow - Agrifood and Agtech provides access to researcher connections, a self-paced learning platform, networking opportunities, guest speakers and expert feedback.

The program is open to Australian SMEs working across areas including agritech and AI, livestock and agriculture, food and beverage manufacturing, value-add products, waste optimisation, circular economy, energy reduction, and more.

Applications close 31 May, 2026.

💻 Find out more, including eligibility, and apply here: https://www.csiro.au/I2GWA

🌱 WA Agricultural Scientist Spotlight: Dr Sarah Rich
From theatre lighting electrician to plant physiologist and CSIRO Research Scientist, Dr Sarah Rich’s path into agricultural science has been anything but linear.

Now based in Perth with CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Dr Rich’s research focuses on climate-resilient farming systems across crops and forages, with particular interest in plant germination, emergence, establishment and below-ground processes.

Her work spans individual seeds and root systems through to whole crops and year-on-year rotations, helping build knowledge to support more adaptable and sustainable farming systems in WA and other dryland regions.

🔗 Read more: https://waarc.org.au/updates/dr-sarah-rich-understanding-plants-from-the-roots-up/

Great to see Farm Weekly highlighting the new WAARC-Grower Group Alliance (GGA) Honours Partnership Program, which is helping connect university research with real industry priorities across Western Australia.

The program brings together WAARC member universities - Curtin University, Murdoch University and The University of Western Australia - with grower groups to support applied research in the paddock, orchard, rangelands and value-added food sectors.

In 2026, participating grower groups include:
🌱 The Southern Rangelands Pastoral Alliance
🌱 Society of Precision Agriculture Australia
🌱 Gascoyne Pilbara Rangelands Initiative
🌱 Facey Group Inc.
🌱 Living Farm

GGA Chief Executive Officer Rikki Foss said the partnership reinforced the importance of investing in people to drive agricultural innovation.

“At GGA we believe in people over tools, and mindset over machinery, and we’ll continue to advocate for greater investment in human capital to achieve GGA’s vision of a producer-led system of agricultural innovation, adoption and collaboration,” Ms Foss said.

“By connecting honours students directly with grower groups, this program brings fresh thinking, new skills and additional research capacity to the challenges growers face every day."

Thank you to Farm Weekly for continuing to share the work being delivered through WAARC and its partners to strengthen WA’s agricultural research pipeline.

Last Friday, WAARC held the second Cohort Connect session of 2026 for participants in our Postgraduate Research Program, with the topic 'How to Build a Research Track Record – an Early Career Perspective'.

👏 The online session attracted 42 participants - potentially a record attendance for our Cohort Connect series - for another valuable professional development workshop focused on building long-term research careers.

Back by popular demand, Dr Ferdous Sohel from Murdoch University returned to share practical insights into how early-career researchers can strategically build a strong research profile through publications, presentations, networking, grant applications, mentoring, collaboration and professional visibility.

📝 Key messages from the session included:
🔹 Be proactive and take initiative
🔹 Be strategic and have a clear plan
🔹 Publish, network and build visibility
🔹 Seek out strong mentors
🔹 Collaborate thoughtfully and avoid diversifying too early
🔹 Back yourself and apply for opportunities

👏 Students described the session as highly practical and immediately relevant to their own research journeys.

Angelia Tanu from The University of Western Australia said the session reinforced the importance of being proactive, publishing research, building professional networks and finding strong mentors to help develop a successful research career.

Jack Weatherhead from Murdoch University highlighted the advice around developing niche expertise early in a career, rather than diluting research identity through broad diversification too soon.

Normandie González-Orellana, MSc. from Curtin University said one of the biggest takeaways was the importance of recognising that early-career researchers need time to grow, develop skills and avoid taking on too much too early.

Chloe Rout from The University of Western Australia said she found the discussion around using social media to build a research profile particularly interesting, along with the importance of being strategic with collaborations and building a strong individual research identity first.

🌱 WAARC’s Cohort Connect series is designed to strengthen capability, connection and confidence across our growing postgraduate scholar network, while supporting the next generation of agricultural research leaders in Western Australia.

Congratulations to WAARC PhD scholarship student Lilijana Nicholls from Murdoch University, who was one of several student presenters at the Australian & New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS) - WA Branch Group Presentation Night on 30 April.

The student-only event, Research in Forensic Science, gave emerging scientists the opportunity to share their research in a short presentation format and build their science communication skills.

Lilijana presented on her PhD research topic - Multiplexing: Developing a method of using environmental DNA for total biological screening in agriculture.

Congratulations Lilijana on representing WAARC and Murdoch University.