Njeri Mwaniki, originally from Kenya, is a scientist, mother, sustainability advocate, and change agent with a deep-rooted passion for agriculture and innovation to sustain global food systems. Growing up on a farm inspired her career in science, where she now leads as the Field Agronomy Coastal Hub Lead in Field Solutions, R&D, based in St. Louis, USA. With 14 years of experience at Bayer and a Master's in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Florida, Njeri ensures the efficacy of crop protection solutions for horticultural markets. As the founder of Zaidi-STEM, Njeri empowers young African women to pursue STEM careers, breaking barriers and inspiring change. Zaidi-STEM promotes STEM in Sub-Saharan Africa, enriches local education systems, and creates mentorship opportunities with diverse professionals. Njeri’s mission is to inspire the next generation of women leaders in STEM, championing education and innovation for a sustainable future.

https://zaidistem.org/

Join us as Dr Elizabeth Chapman shares her journey from working at a research center in Denmark to adapting to rural life in Germany. Elizabeth discusses the challenges of relocating, balancing work-life in new environments, and making friends post-PhD. She offers valuable advice on recognizing "green flags" in job environments, aligning personal values with career goals, and spotting potential red flags like high turnover.

Elizabeth opens up about the importance of mentorship, the role of professional networks, and her evolving approach to career planning—focusing on fulfillment over rigid plans. Tune in for insights on building a career rooted in passion and well-being.

Liz Carlisle is an Associate Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at UC Santa Barbara, where she teaches courses on food and farming. Born and raised in Montana, she got hooked on agriculture while working as an aide to organic farmer and U.S. Senator Jon Tester, which led to a decade of research and writing collaborations with farmers in her home state. She has written three books about regenerative farming and agroecology: Lentil Underground (2015), Grain by Grain (2019, with co-author Bob Quinn), and most recently, Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming (2022). She is also a frequent contributor to both academic journals and popular media outlets, focusing on food and farm policy, incentivizing soil health practices, and supporting new entry farmers. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography, from UC Berkeley, and a B.A. in Folklore and Mythology, from Harvard University. Prior to her career as a writer and academic, she spent several years touring rural America as a country singer.

https://www.lizcarlisle.com/

Alison Bentley is the director of Global Wheat Program at International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). She leads and manages a team of 40 international scientists who use scientific approaches to develop improved wheat germplasm. 

Prior to joining CIMMYT in November 2020, she was working in the UK focused on translation of fundamental scientific breakthroughs into tangible impacts for the agri-food sector. Her research combines genetics and genomics to develop and deliver new tools and technology to improve plant breeding and crop production. She has a doctorate in Agricultural Science and PhD in Agriculture from The University of Sydney, Australia.

Alison was the 2023 Borlaug CAST Communication Award recipient This award recognizes outstanding achievements and contributions by scientists, engineers, or other professionals in the agricultural, environmental, or food sectors to the advancement of science through communication in public policy fields. Bentley has a passion for delivering practical applications from innovation to farmers, extensive reach through communicating and influencing, and mentoring and support of individuals and community efforts.

https://womenincropscience.org/

Mary Purdy is an Integrative Eco-Dietitian, Speaker, Writer and Adjunct Faculty Lecturer. She is passionate about our environment and sustainability.  Her goal is to help people, practitioners and organizations discover how a sustainable, resilient, healthy and equitable food system can support both people and planet.

While she is not currently in clinical practice, Mary has close to 15 years of experience seeing patients.  She is here to be an educator, adviser and/or consultant for your organization, company or students as it relates to the intersection of sustainably grown food, health, and climate change.

You can also take a look at her former youtube web series. Tune in regularly, join the conversation, boost your knowledge and your wellness while helping to support the health of the planet. She also has a podcast “The Nutrition Show” Podcast! (Formerly “Mary’s Nutrition Show,”). Backed by over 12 years of clinical nutrition experience, a passion for sustainability and a healthy sense of humor, she will inspire you to eat to support your health while making eco-friendly choices.

Check her website: https://marypurdy.co/

Cholani Weebadde is an Assistant Professor and the Plant Breeder for International Programs at Michigan State University (MSU). She works with MSU plant breeders to take their research beyond the borders of the United States. Cholani believes in the exchange of knowledge and information with others to build the next generation of leaders in genetics, plant breeding, and biotechnology. As a part of the global outreach program, Cholani has gained experience in conducting training, education, and needs assessments in several countries she  teaches a course called plant breeding to fight hunger.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/people/cholani_k_weebadde

Nele leads Bayer's global NextGen agricultural leaders’ engagement in agriculture- and food systems-related stakeholder and policy spheres. Prior to Bayer, Nele was a board member at a science communications consultancy focused on agriculture and plant sciences. She is a professional networker and holds degrees in Hispanic Studies, Philosophy, International Relations and an MBA. She steps forward to raise youth in ag voices to sustainably develop the sector and serves as NGIN-president.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neleherrmannvalente/?originalSubdomain=de

The NextGen Ag Impact Network (NGIN): https://nginag.org/

What we discussed in the episode:

Personal questions:

2:00 Nele's intro

4:30  Nele's dreams/aspiration when she was a child?

6:30 look in the immediate surroundings for role models 

Core questions:

8:05 What is Ag youth summit?

12:17 How Nele become passionate about working with youth in Ag? How does this passion fit in with her career?

15:30 What means being a professional networker?

19:30 Why is it important to involve youth in Ag? 

27:33 Are female involved in Ag projects?

32:15 Most gratifying experience working with youth in Ag?

End questions:

34:09 Best and worst advice

36:48 Most important lesson learned over the career? 

37:45 Three books that Nele recommend to the audience and why? Not forgetting the whale by John Ironmonge; Guns, Germs, and Steel Book by Jared Diamond; Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness Book by Frédéric Laloux. Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad by Charlie Croker

Arohi Sharma advocates for policies that promote regenerative agriculture to mitigate climate change, protect soil health, conserve and reduce water use, and restore biodiversity. Before joining NRDC, Sharma was in graduate school, where she researched how to incentivize multi-stakeholder partnerships to help mitigate climate change and worked for the Ethiopian Government to help craft the nation’s first sustainable agricultural development strategy. Prior to graduate school, Sharma served as a legislative staffer on Capitol Hill for the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee and Senator Cory Booker. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, San Diego and a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. In 2020, Sharma was awarded the John E. Bryson fellowship for her work on water and agriculture. She is based in NRDC’s Santa Monica office.

What we discuss: 

0:00 Greeting Arohi + Charlotte and Cristina update

2:00 Arohi bio and childhood

5:30 Arohi roles models 

7:00 Arohi dreams and aspirations 

8:30 What is regenerative Ag?

10:00 What motivated Arohi to be an advocate in regenerative Ag (movie ref. Food, Inc. 2008)

17:00 Talking about the importance of networking 

18:30 What is a farm bill?

25:40 Which outcomes-based pilot efforts are important to help investment in regenerative Ag

28:00 Importance of giving back to the land and soil health

30:00 Discussing about how we can convince people that regenerative agriculture is far more profitable than industrial farming

38:00 Talking about the importance of farmers

39:30 How people can advocate to shape the food system for better

45 Best advices that Arohi received

46:30 Important lesson that Arohi learned during her career

48 Books that Arohi recommends

New year, New Member! 

Cristina Ocaña Gallegos is originally from Quito, Ecuador. She studied plant biotechnology at The University of Queensland and recently completed a master's degree in crop science at Washington State University. Her studies have focused on quinoa, in topics related to plant pathology, compatibility with speed-breeding and screening of preharvest sprouting resistance. Currently, Cristina works as an extension agent at WSU Skagit, where she provides technical assistance and facilitates conversation with the hispanic farmers of the region. She wishes to keep expanding her vision of how to practice sustainability, while working to improve our food systems at the social and ecological levels.

What we discuss:

3:00 Cristina’s life path

4:50 when we can call a new place home

6:00 child’s careers aspiration

10:00 spiritual role models - mentors

13:30 what inspired Cristina to pursue a career in science

15:00 talking about the disconnection between people in the city and rural area

16:00 quinoa chat

17:00 talking about the opportunity and transition to study in Australia

19:00 differences between living in Australia and USA

21:00 what is Cristina currently working on?

26:00 Cristina’s advice for the next generations

33:00 discussing about ARE YOU OK

After one year we are coming back with a new episode about our PhD journey and what we learnt during this marathon! We hope that you'll enjoy it! Cheers & glitters 

1:00 - Intro and life update

3:20 - How a PhD works in Australia

4:00 - PhD is a unique experience, including submission

6:00 - Take care of your mental health, Practice self-care and get support

15:00 - Focus on the things that you can control and always do your best

18:00 - The best thesis is a finished thesis,It’s all about the baby steps

24:40 - Feeling strange during the whole process is normal

27:00 - Submission can be a mix of emotions

33:00 - So what’s next after PhD? Post-PhD blues?

This is a special episode with a suprise at the end! 

We hope that you will love it! 

Let’s the new year illuminate our next achievement/s!

ILLUMINATA Ep. #24 Dr Kate Burke author of the book 'Crops People Money & You: The Art of Excellent Farming’ has a practical and pragmatic approach to farming. Based on thirty years of experience as an agricultural scientist in the dryland cropping sector, she knows how to connect the dots of science, people and money. With a unique blend of evidence, insight and empathy, Kate encourages readers to clear the fear and take the steering wheel toward Excellent Farming.

@ThinkAgri  

Link to buy the book: 

https://www.thinkagri.com.au/product/crops-people-money-you/ 

Lane's journey began on a citrus farm planted by her Sicilian great-grandparents in 1919 along Florida's space coast. After earning degrees in Agronomy (BS) and Entomology (MS) from the University of Florida, Lane transitioned to Oregon in 2000.

Currently serving as a Professor of Practice at Oregon State University, Lane has been deeply involved in collaborating with organic vegetable and grain farmers, managing research projects, and organizing outreach events since 2005. In 2011, she established the Culinary Breeding Network, uniting plant breeders, seed growers, farmers, chefs, and other stakeholders to enhance the quality of vegetables and grains.

Lane's impactful work has garnered recognition from prominent media outlets such as The New York Times, Food & Wine, and The Wall Street Journal. She was honored as #19 on the Saveur 100 list in 2020 and received the Award of Excellence for Organic Advocacy from the Oregon Organic Coalition in 2016. Currently, Lane contributes her expertise as a board member of the Portland-Bologna Sister City Association.

Residing in Portland, Oregon, Lane continues to be a driving force in advancing sustainable agriculture and fostering community connections.

https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/users/lane-selman

Culinary Breeding Network (CBN)

https://www.culinarybreedingnetwork.com/about-1

ILLUMINATA Ep. #23 Agronomist Beth Penrose moved from the United Kingdom to Australia in 2017 to start her own research group at the University of Tasmania in Hobart. Her research focuses on improving soil and plant nutrition for human and animal health, whether that is increasing concentrations of beneficial nutrients, or reducing concentrations of contaminants. She regularly works between disciplines, collaborating with researchers in health and nutrition, food science, aquaculture, zoology, geology and education. Her previous work looked at using genetic variation in mineral uptake by grasses to reduce transfer of radioactive caesium and strontium to cows in contaminated areas. Beth is a member of the GRDC Community of Practice for Crop Nutrition and is the Secretary of the Australian Grassland Association. She is also the Tasmanian representative for Researchers in Agriculture for International Development (RAID) and sits on the Tasmanian Committee of the Crawford Fund.

@bethpenrose linkedin research profile 

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01330-2 

Episode #22: Emma Ayliffe is an agronomist, farmer, business founder and agri-tech innovator. She has been named the 2021 Young Farmer of the Year. Emma is a co-founder of agribusiness, Summit Ag and also co-founded Yacker – a free app that connects people in the agricultural sector. She has been recognised for her advocacy work, innovation and passion. She hopes to see more young people involved in agriculture in the future. Emma is also a crop doctor on the side and works as an agricultural consultant, helping farmers from Griffith to Lake Cargelligo with production.

Episode #21: Dr Elizabeth Chapman (Liz) grew up surrounded by green fields and countryside in the heart of Somerset, England. Elizabeth did her PhD, entitled, ‘Balancing the Genetics of Source to Sink to Increase the Productivity of Bread Wheat’, at John Innes Centre in collaboration with KWS-UK. Here she gained her love of fieldwork, applied breeding and plant physiology, excitingly integrating phenotypic and genotypic data to gain both a genetic and agronomic understanding of the importance of staygreen traits. Elizabeth recently joined Carlsberg Research Laboratory as part of the ‘Crops for the Future’ team. . Elsewise she’ll be found running or cycling round the parks, harbours and streets of Copenhagen, knitting, baking...and attempting to learn dansk-selvfølgelig! 

ILLUMINATA Ep. #20 Dr Millicent Smith is a plant physiologist with expertise in legume crops. Now she is a Lecturer in Crop Physiology at the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences at the University of Queensland. Typically working at the whole plant or crop level, her research is focused on understanding the above- and below-ground mechanisms that underpin adaptation to abiotic stress and the impacts of changing resource availability on yield and seed nutrient content. Millicent has extensive experience developing and applying novel chemical, isotopic and physiological phenotyping techniques and technologies across scales from lab to field.
 

ILLUMINATA Ep. #19: In today’s episode we interview Siobhan Smith, she is currently in her final year studying a Bachelor of Agriculture/ Business. Throughout her time at university she has been the President of the Rural Undergraduate Society at the University of New England and she also was a NSW Rural Achiever Finalist.
Inspired by the era of agricultural innovation, Siobhan believes this is the
most exciting time to be a young woman in agriculture. Her goals for the future
include promoting sustainability, innovation and future farming opportunities
with determination to push the industry benchmark to new heights.   

ILLUMINATA Ep. #18 Renne Anderson is an agronomist, cotton farmer and an advocate for sustainable farming. In 2019 she won the Nuffield Australia farming scholarship which allowed her to travel overseas to meet experts in agricultural research and communication throughout Europe, the United States and Canada on her study tour. Having worked in agronomy for 20 years, Renée has observed many barriers to effective adoption of better environmental management practices and consumer communications, and is motivated to research strategies to overcome these barriers. 

@cottonfarmgirl  

@cottonaustralia 

ILLUMINATA Ep. #17 Fiona Lake is a professional photographer who has specialised in agriculture, rural regions and aerial photography for more than thirty years. These days she focuses on passing her knowledge to others - drone pilots, photographers, people in agriculture and rural residents thinking of starting up small businesses, sometimes in the most remote parts of the continent. Fiona recently was the winner of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalism 2020 Star prize for photography for her exquisitely - composed aerial image of a bullock team published by the the Queensland Country Life last September

ILLUMINATA Ep. #16 Gillian Fennell is a wife, mother, jill of all trades who is trying to make a life not a living in remote outback South Australia. A passionate rural advocate and board member of Livestock SA & Cattle Council Australia. Described variously as a fighter, thinker, cattlewoman and humanist, she tries to look after and elevate the people around her, and make her industry a better place for everyone who wants to be a part of agriculture.  

ILLUMINATA Ep. #15 Meg Kummerow founded Fly the Farm in September 2017. Her business is dedicated to ensuring that Australian Farmers and Agribusiness professionals get the right drone solution for their needs. Meg is passionate about Australian Agriculture and continues to work with several Grain Industry organisation alongside running Fly the Farm. She is a Mum of two children with an interest in technology and who attend a small, rural school. Meg founded Robot Farm because she saw that there was a need to provide not just STEM products, but support and resources to Parents and Teachers alike. Robot Farm is a project to immerse rural kids in science, technology and coding using robots.

Fly the Farm 

Robot Farm 

ILLUMINATA Ep. #14 Karen is our CRISPR-Cas9
Queen and her research is focused on the improvement of cereal crops using genomic and biotechnological tools, enhancing their qualities and performance for the food and feed industries. In a bold move from the cold Canada
to sunny Australia, her passion for science and innovation has fuelled her
career in academia where she is now undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship.  

Listen to this legend and get inspired!  

Dr Karen Massel profile 

Hotter, drier, CRISPR: editing for climate change  

Dr Catherine Feuillet received her PhD in 1993 from the Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse (France) with a research project focused on genes involved with lignification in eucalyptus. She then spent 10 years in Switzerland for postdoctoral studies and as assistant professor at the University of Zurich where she developed research projects aiming at the isolation of disease resistance genes and a better understanding of the genome structure and evolution of wheat and barley. In 2004, she was appointed by INRA (French National Agricultural Research Institute) as a research director in Clermont-Ferrand to lead and develop wheat genomics projects to support wheat improvement. In 2013, Catherine joined Bayer CropScience and became the head of the Trait Research. In 2018, she joined Inari as Chief Scientific Officer. Inari is designing seeds to help address one of the greatest challenges of our times - growing enough nutritious calories for a growing population while reducing the footprint of agricultural production on the environment. Catherine leads a group of ~100 scientists located in Cambridge (MA, USA) and in Gent (Belgium) that develop Inari’s SEEDdesignTM technology platform. The platform integrates A.I.-powered Predictive Design and advanced Multiplex Gene Editing tools to develop resilient seeds that require fewer natural resources and inputs, in a drastically shorter time and lower costs than current approaches. Catherine has coordinated several large national and European projects and is one of the founders of the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium. She was elected the French “golden woman of the year for research” in 2008.  Then, for her achievement in wheat research, she received in 2009 the "Prix Foulon" from the French Academy of Sciences. She received the Legion of Honour in 2010, was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2011 and, received the “Prix J. Dufrenoy” from the French Academy of Agriculture in 2012. Catherine has supervised the work of more than 30 masters, PhDs and postdoc scientists and published more than 130 scientific papers in peer reviewed journals and books.

INARI

https://inari.com/

ILLUMINATA Ep. #13 In this episode with talk with the only and one Dr. Anika Molesworth. Passionate about rural communities and healthy ecosystems, she is committed to help create sustainable and vibrant farming landscapes now and for the future. Anika speaks and writes on agro-ecological systems resilience, and have a passion for building the capacity of farmers to respond to climate change, both here in Australia and around the world. Her dedication to raising awareness of climate change impacts on farms, and most importantly, what action can be taken to reduce emissions and adapt to changing conditions has gained widespread notability. 

https://www.anikamolesworth.com/ 

ILLUMINATA Ep. #12. In this episode with talk with Shannon Speight (nee Landmark). Graduating as a veterinarian from the University of Sydney,her career commenced working as a vet with live export in North Queensland, followed by time with a mixed practice in Charters Towers and Longreach. Shannon was awarded the Zanda McDonald Award in 2019, an award that highlights talented and passionate young individuals working in agriculture. Shannon has founded Black Box Co, an innovative SaaS (Software as a Service) product that ingests raw data across the beef supply chain to inform prediction, forecasting and key production insights. 

ILLUMINATA Ep. #11. In this episode with talk with Dr. Marina Fortes. She is a cattle geneticist, lecturer, and researcher at the University of Queensland. Besides teaching molecular genetics and bioinformatics, her group is working on developing genomic technologies to improve genetic gain in livestock. We chat about her journey from being a veterinarian in Brazil, to pursuing a career in academia in Australia while also juggling motherhood. She's the co-creator of the UQ's Women in Science podcast that highlights the stories of inspiring women in STEM.

ILLUMINATA Ep. #10 In this episode we are chatting with Sera our new member that joined our team! We chat about her science journey and sharing a bit of her experience in this field to inspire younger generations of girls to undertake a science career.  

Happy international women’s day! Welcome to this special episode honoring our incredible women! We have prepared a very special message from our Illuminata guests about the importance of highlighting women in agriculture, so sit tight and enjoy.

Ever wondered what a career in science would be like? Or how to get into research? What is it like to do a PhD? These questions and many more will be answered by UQ researchers in celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2021! We are delighted to have the following researchers from The University of Queensland's School of Chemical and Molecular Biosciences (SCMB) and the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) joining us online to share their journeys and give advice to aspiring scientists in a 1-hour Q&A panel event:

- Dr Kirsty Short, ARC DECRA Research Fellow, SCMB

-Prof. Anna Koltunow, Centre for Crop Science, QAAFI

-Dr Dilani Jambuthenne, Centre for Crop Science, QAAFI

-Dr Elizabeth Ross, Research Fellow, Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI

Co-hosted by QAAFI PhD candidate and host of Illuminata podcast, Charlotte Rambla, and Wonder of Science Program Officer and medical research associate, Dr Natalie McKirdy.

ILLUMINATA Ep. #9. In this episode we chat with the amazing Prof. Yasmina Sultanbawa. Originally from Sri Lanka, she is a food scientist focusing on the agribusiness development framework, specifically in the area of food processing, preservation, food safety and nutrition. She works with Australian native plant foods focusing on incorporating these plants in mainstream agriculture and diet diversification and working with indigenous communities to develop nutritious and sustainable value added products from native plants with a positive socio-economic impact.

Prof Yasmina Sultanbawa profile

Uniquely Australian Foods

Aboriginal websites where you can find products to try:

Kaiyu super foods

Bindam Mie  

ILLUMINATA Ep. #8. In this episode we chat with the amazing Bianca Das, a soil scientist currently doing her PhD at the University of Queensland and CSIRO Agriculture and Food in Australia. She is passionate about soils, science communication, global agricultural development and nutrition security and human rights. On 2019, Bianca participated in the world-class leadership, strategic and science initiative and outreach for women: the Homeward Bound Program, which culminates with a month of training in Antarctica. Listen to her unique journey now!

Bianca Das profile

ILLUMINATA Ep. #7. In this episode we are chatting with the fabulous Dr Heather Smyth a flavour and sensory scientist who has been working with premium food and beverage products for over fifteen years. She is researching the human sensory experience of Australian foods, finding new pathways for adding distinctive Australian qualities to our home-grown food and beverage products.

Dr Heather Smyth profile 

Uniquely Australian Foods

ILLUMINATA Ep. #6. In this episode we are chatting with the amazing Dr Jill Fernandes, a decision scientist at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland. Dr Fernandes and her colleagues have been involved in establishing a UQ impact initiative called The Animal Welfare Collaborative (TAWC). TAWC is a broad network of individuals, companies, and organisations working together to improve animal welfare.

Dr Jill Fernandes Profile 

The Animal Welfare Collaborative (TAWC) 

Twitter: @LetsTAWC

Instagram: @lets_tawc

This episode is part of a series featuring recipients of the Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) award program from the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative. The Borlaug Global Rust Initiative is an international consortium based at Cornell University dedicated to Norman Borlaug’s vision of fostering a new generation of hunger fighters. This series highlight the journeys and accomplishments of five WIT awardees in the world of wheat science. We really want to thank the amazing Maricelis Acevedo, that is the associate director for science and a 2010 WIT winner, for the support in making this series possible.

Dr Anna Backhaus is working on pre-breeding for cereals at ICARDA. Her work focuses on accelerating the identification and introgression of useful gene bank material. She also focuses on using the diversity in the more distal crop wild relatives (CWR) of wheat and barley. These are difficult to assess, and crossing barriers are in the way. However, CWR introgressions have shown great potential in breeding for dry areas. She believes germplasm diversity, but equally in the workplace, will be essential for future crop improvement. Furthermore, She is keen to advance the application and use of next-generation sequencing data in breeding and pre-breeding.

ILLUMINATA Ep. #5. In this episode we are chatting with Prof. Mary Fletcher, a natural product organic chemist. Her current work focuses on the identification and analysis of natural toxins in a range of plants, fungi and agricultural products. Such toxins can affect both human and animal health posing risks to livestock production, food safety and market access.

Professor Mary Fletcher profile 

ILLUMINATA Ep. #4. In this episode we are chatting with the amazing Prof. Anna Koltunow has a formidable record of accomplishment in plant reproduction research and translating that research into gains in agricultural sectors. She was selected by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to head an international collaborative research venture between six research organisations and a multinational seed company to develop technologies so smallholder African farmers could economically save seed from cowpea and sorghum hybrids.

Prof. Anna Koltunow profile  

ILLUMINATA Ep. #3. In this episode we are chatting with Dr Barbara George-Jaeggli originally from Switzerland, we are talking about her path and why she came to Australia. We are talking about how she manages her failure, how to be in a male dominated world and how to be successful even putting life before career.

Dr Barbara George-Jaeggli Profile
 

Welcome to ILLUMINATA! We are two young researchers from The University of Queensland that want to highlight the importance of women in agriculture. In this episode we are chatting with Emily about her science journey and sharing a bit of her experience in this field to inspire younger generations of girls to undertake a science career.

Emily Mantilla Profile  

Welcome to ILLUMINATA! We are two young researchers from The University of Queensland that want to highlight the importance of women in agriculture. In this episode we are chatting with Charlotte about her science journey and sharing a bit of her experience in this field to inspire younger generations of girls to undertake a science career. 

Charlotte Rambla Profile  

This episode is part of a series featuring recipients of the Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) award program from the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative. The Borlaug Global Rust Initiative is an international consortium based at Cornell University dedicated to Norman Borlaug’s vision of fostering a new generation of hunger fighters. This series highlight the journeys and accomplishments of five WIT awardees in the world of wheat science. We really want to thank the amazing Maricelis Acevedo, that is the associate director for science and a 2010 WIT winner, for the support in making this series possible.

Dr Batiseba Tembo, a skilled plant breeder from Zambia, is dedicated to improving wheat yields and combating diseases like wheat blast. She works at the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute, focusing on developing high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat varieties. With a background in agricultural science and a Ph.D. in plant breeding, Tembo's research aims to address challenges faced by wheat farmers in Zambia. She is particularly known for her discovery of wheat blast in Africa and is actively working to identify resistant germplasm for breeding programs. Tembo's passion for wheat research drives her efforts to enhance food security and agricultural sustainability in Zambia and neighboring regions.

This episode is part of a series featuring recipients of the Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) award program from the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative. The Borlaug Global Rust Initiative is an international consortium based at Cornell University dedicated to Norman Borlaug’s vision of fostering a new generation of hunger fighters. This series highlight the journeys and accomplishments of five WIT awardees in the world of wheat science. We really want to thank the amazing Maricelis Acevedo, that is the associate director for science and a 2010 WIT winner, for the support in making this series possible.

Dr. Jessica Rutkoski is an Assistant Professor and wheat breeder at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her mission is to develop varieties that will help improve the profitability of wheat production in the eastern part of the US. In line with this goal, Jessica’s scholarly research program develops and implements new ways to improve the efficiency of small grains breeding. Before joining the University of Illinois, Jessicaworked at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), located in the Philippines and at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), located in Mexico.

This episode is part of a series featuring recipients of the Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) award program from the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative. The Borlaug Global Rust Initiative is an international consortium based at Cornell University dedicated to Norman Borlaug’s vision of fostering a new generation of hunger fighters. This series highlight the journeys and accomplishments of five WIT awardees in the world of wheat science. We really want to thank the amazing Maricelis Acevedo, that is the associate director for science and a 2010 WIT winner, for the support in making this series possible.

Paula Silva received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Universidad de la República in Uruguay, studying barley and wheat genetic resistance to diseases. During her master's, she had the opportunity to do an internship at CIMMYT, working with Dr. Sybil Herrera-Foessel, Dr. Julio Huerta-Espino and Dr. Ravi Singh. In 2021 she completed her Ph.D. in Genetics at Kansas State University under a Fulbright scholarship with Dr. Jesse Poland. Her research included phenomics and genomics for curl mite, yellow dwarf and blast, three economically important diseases affecting wheat. In 2013 she got a job appointment in Crop Molecular Breeding at Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA) in Uruguay. In 2019, she was appointed at INIA to lead the wheat and barley disease resistance breeding program as well as the coordination of the Precision Phenotyping Platform for Multiple Wheat Diseases in collaboration with CIMMYT.

This episode is part of a series featuring recipients of the Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) award program from the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative. The Borlaug Global Rust Initiative is an international consortium based at Cornell University dedicated to Norman Borlaug’s vision of fostering a new generation of hunger fighters. This series highlight the journeys and accomplishments of five WIT awardees in the world of wheat science. We really want to thank the amazing Maricelis Acevedo, that is the associate director for science and a 2010 WIT winner, for the support in making this series possible.

Samia Berraies was born wanting to work with wheat. Originally from Tunisia, she moved to Canada in pursue of the crop. In 2014, she received her PhD from a collaboration between the University of Natural Science in Tunisia and Laval University in Quebec, where she studied the genetic basis for resistance of durum wheat to Septoria Leaf Blotch and Leaf Rust. Currently she is a Cereal Molecular Pathologist at the Swift Current Research and Development Centre, at Agriculture and Agrifood Canada. In this role, shefocuses on understanding the genetic and molecular basis of resistance to several wheat diseases. This valuable information is shared with wheat breeders who use it in marker-assisted selection to incorporate disease resistance in Canadian wheat varieties. The impact of her work translates as substantial savings for Canadian farmers, enhanced crop quality, and ultimately, local and global food security.

About Women in Triticum (WIT): The Women in Triticum awards, part of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative, recognizes and supports early-career female researchers and mentors in the field of wheat science. The program aims to promote collaboration, communication, and engagement among women in crop science, contributing to gender equality and advancement in agriculture.

Dr Sugandha Munshi is an advocate of gender equality and women’s rights in India. She has an intensive experience of more than a decade (12 years) working in the field of gender mainstreaming including research and policy. With degrees in Political Science, Gender, and Journalism from the University of Delhi, she specializes in conceiving, designing, and promoting interventions and policies targeting Gender issues. Her Ph.D. has been on Self Help Groups, empowering women in agriculture. Currently, working as a Lead Specialist, Senior Associate scientist in the Sustainable impact platform at International Rice Research Institute, she closely works with women farmers and policymakers in partnership advocacy on innovations and policy interventions in agriculture. She has also been recognized as an “Iconic Women Leader Creating a better world for All” in 2022 for her work on gender equality and small and marginal farmers by Women Economic Forum in India. Her new book entitled, “Women Farmers: Unheard Being Heard”, an evidence-based book celebrating women farmers in agriculture, innovations, and approaches to fill the gender gap is published by Springer’s Nature in June 2023.