Keynote Presenters Bios

Paul Dennis leads an exciting research group that applies cutting-edge technologies to understand the roles of microorganisms and their responses to environmental change.

He is also a passionate educator and public speaker who advocates for the importance of biological diversity and evidence-based environmental awareness. He has talked about his research on ABC Radio and a range of other media outlets.

His teaching covers aspects of ecology, microbiology, plant and soil science, and climatology. He considers these topics to be of fundamental importance for the development of more sustainable societies and takes pride in helping others to obtain the knowledge and skills they need to build a better future.

Paul's research has taken him to Antarctica, the Amazon Rainforest, high mountains and oceans. The approaches used in his lab draw on a wide range of expertise in molecular biology, ecology, statistics, computer science, advanced imaging and soil science. He applies these skills to a wide-range of topics and systems including tropical agriculture, plant-microbe interactions, Antarctic marine and terrestrial ecology, biogeography, pollution and human health.

Joanne Emerson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis, where her group studies soil viral communities in natural and managed ecosystems. Joanne received her Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Science at the University of California, Berkeley in 2012 and did postdoctoral research at the University of Colorado at Boulder (2012-2015) and at both the University of Arizona and The Ohio State University (2015-2017). Her metagenomic research has spanned a variety of ecosystems over the years, including hypersaline lakes, geysers, indoor and outdoor air, and subarctic lake sediments, with a more recent focus on soil. 

Associate Professor Lee Hickey is a plant breeder and crop geneticist within the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation at The University of Queensland, Australia. To accelerate development of more productive and robust crop varieties, his research program collaborates closely with industry to develop new tools and innovative breeding strategies that combine leading-edge technologies such as speed breeding, genome editing and genomic selection. His research outcomes have featured in 60 refereed publications, including articles in high profile journals Nature Plants, Nature Protocols and Nature Biotechnology. He is a prolific science communicator and his research outcomes have appeared in mainstream media such as BBC World News, National Geographic, and the New York Times. He is passionate about training the next generation of plant breeders and currently mentors 11 PhD students, while 9 of his previous graduates now work for leading plant breeding companies and high profile research institutes around the globe.

Alby Marsh (Ngâti Ranginui, Ngai Te Rangi, Ngâ Puhi, Ngâti Hine and Te Rarawa) has over 20 years’ experience in a science organisation more recently in the role of Stakeholder Relationship Manager - Māori at Plant and Food Research in New Zealand. Alby’s currently Pourangahau – Māori specialising in Kaupapa Māori driven research. His other role is Director- Māori for B3 (Better Border Biosecurity) a multi-partner, cooperative science collaboration that researches ways to reduce the entry and establishment of new plant pests and diseases in New Zealand. Alby's early research background was in soilborne vegetable diseases such as clubroot of brassicas (Plasmodiophora brassicae) and Phytophthora spp infection of potatoes Current research is leading projects investigating the impact of Myrtle rust to Māori communities and the indigenous communities across the Pacific. Previous projects were the development of the Indigenous Engagement models in collaboration with researchers from Charles Darwin University, in Australia. The model was developed to improve how researchers and government representatives engaged with community, more so indigenous communities, in a respectful meaningful manner to bring about outcomes that benefited both parties. This project was part of the Plant Biosecurity CRC receiving the collaboration award in the final year of the CRC.

Prof Neena Mitter is the Director the Centre for Horticultural Science, Queensland Alliance of Agriculture and Food Innovation, the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Director of the Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Research Hub for Sustainable Crop Protection.

Prof Mitter is globally renowned for her leadership of innovative platforms namely ‘environmentally sustainable BioClay platform for crop protection’ and ‘clonal propagation of avocado using plant stem cells’.  These are ground-breaking platform technologies influencing agricultural production, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic dynamics of the farming community. Her career and passion for delivering real world outcomes has received recognitions such as Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, 2021 Pravasi Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Australian Women in Technology Outstanding Life Sciences Award and Gates Grand Challenges Explorations Award. With increased scrutiny on use of chemicals as crop and animal disease control agents, Prof Mitter has been selected to champion a UQ wide initiative on ‘Protected Cropping for Tropics and Subtropics’ and across the University is leading the development of clean technologies for the agriculture of tomorrow. 

She has >120 publications and since 2011 has supervised >20 PhD students.  As Chairperson of UQ Cultural Inclusion Council and Deputy Council member of the Australian Human Rights Commission Leadership Council on Cultural Diversity, Prof Mitter is at the forefront of diversity and inclusion initiatives.