Delivering the opening address at The UWA Institute of Agriculture’s recent 17th annual Postgraduate Showcase was the perfect full-circle moment for Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) Chief Scientist Dr Ben Biddulph.

As the Institute Director Hackett Professor Kadambot Siddique recognised in his introductory speech, Dr Biddulph attended the event 15 years earlier – not as an audience member – but as a student presenter.

“I am sure you have fond memories of standing up here for our inaugural Postgraduate Showcase in 2007,” Professor Siddique said.

“As you know, this event is an invaluable opportunity for our chosen postgraduate students to engage with and enlighten farmers, fellow scientists, academics and the wider agricultural community.”

To date, 129 early-career researchers have presented their achievements in agriculture and related areas at the annual Postgraduate Showcase.

In addition to Dr Biddulph, notable former presenters include the UWA Centre for Agricultural Economics and Development Deputy Director Dr Fiona Dempster, West Midlands Group executive officer Dr Nathan Craig and InterGrain Business and Research Development Manager Dr Dini Ganesalingam.

Dr Biddulph said he was enthusiastic about hearing from the next generation of agricultural researchers.

“It is critical for our sector to engage better with universities and the academic systems to make sure we are working on solving industry problems and challenges going forward,” he said.

“Through the WA Agricultural Research Collaboration, we have $25 million from the State Treasury over the next three years to build that mid-career capability at a postdoc and PhD level.”

About 100 people attended the 2023 Postgraduate Showcase: Frontiers in Agriculture at the Bayliss Lecture Theatre on May 31.

L-R: Mukesh Choudhary, Samalka Wijeweera, Junrey Amas, Sylvester A Obeng-Darko, Bablu Hira Mandal, Professor Kadambot Siddique, Marcela Del Carmen Vieira, Emeritus Professor Graeme Martin, Dr Ben Biddulph, Professor Sharon Purchase and Doraid Alkhishaybi

Seven outstanding postgraduate students from across three schools were hand-picked by the Institute to present their research achievements in agriculture and related areas, and each was coached by Emeritus Professor Graeme Martin.

The two sessions were chaired by the Head of UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, Associate Professor Matthias Leopold, and UWA Business School Professor Sharon Purchase.

The innovative topics included Marcela Del Carmen Vieira tracing the economic impact of dung beetles in Australia, Junrey Amas identifying disease resistance in canola, Mukesh Choudhary and Samalka Wijeweera investigating how to enhance heat stress and salt (respectively) tolerance in wheat, and Sylvester Obeng-Darko finding factors that influence dihydroxyacetone in honey.

PhD candidate Bablu Hira Mandal, who explored the role of fulvic acid in alleviating glyphosate damage to crops, said his Postgraduate Showcase experience was both “exciting and inspiring”.

“I was thankful to meet new people and discuss current and future research and possible employment opportunities,” Mr Mandal said.

“Specifically, I have learned how to convey scientific findings to the non-scientific community in a simple but understandable way, which will help me to boost my professional goals in the future.”

Animal scientist Doraid Alkhishaybi said he was grateful for the opportunity to share his research findings on the effect of heat stress on sperm quality in Merino rams.

“I really valued the chance to meet other PhD candidates and hear about their multidisciplinary and cutting-edge research,” Mr Alkhishaybi said.

“The showcase also allowed me to present my research to a diverse audience, ranging from farmers to, scientists, non-profit organisations and government agencies.

“It was an opportunity to integrate, meet new people, discuss current research and explore future employment opportunities.”

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