PGRA

The battle between plant immunity and fungal infections: A microscopic arms race.

2025 Research Spotlight, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science, PGRA, Research /

By Georgia Barrington-Smith & Dr Rebecca Duncan The agricultural industry is constantly under threat from fungal pathogens that infect important plant crops like tomatoes, bananas, and cotton. In response, plants have developed new defence mechanisms, fuelling an ongoing arms race against these invaders as they, in turn, develop new ways to circumvent these defences. How […]

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Fight against the fungus: Understanding the relationship between fungal pathogens and plant infection.

2025 Research Spotlight, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science, PGRA, Research /

By Georgia Barrington-Smith & Dr Rebecca Duncan Ensuring our ongoing food availability in the face of a rising global population is a critical challenge. Infectious plant diseases pose a significant threat to our agricultural food production, costing the global economy around $220 billion USD each year. One particularly destructive disease is ‘blast disease’, which targets

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Will the rivers run dry?

2025 Research Spotlight, Archaeology and Geoscience, Environmental Science, PGRA, Uncategorized /

Understanding how decreasing rainfall is impacting river regions in South-Western Australia. By Georgia Barrington-Smith & Dr Rebecca Duncan Global rainfall patterns are changing, leading to dryer conditions in numerous biodiversity hotspots. Rivers in the Southern Hemisphere are particularly sensitive to these climate-induced changes. To mitigate biodiversity loss and manage our precious water resources, we need

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Research spotlight: Caleb Stamper (Wollongong University)

2024, Materials Science and Engineering, PGRA, Research, Research Spotlight /

Improving energy materials by understanding heat flow on the atomic scale By Georgia Barrington-Smith & Dr Rebecca Duncan With advancements in technology and increases in population leading to a looming energy crisis, it is vital to optimise energy use to meet our future needs. One of the major issues in energy generation is the production

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Tiny solutions to a big problem: Targeted delivery of anti-cancer drugs using pH-responsive nanoparticles

2024 Research Spotlight, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science, PGRA, Research, Research Spotlight /

By Georgia Barrington-Smith & Dr Rebecca Duncan Cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide, claiming the lives of millions of people each year. One of the first-line treatments of cancer is chemotherapy: powerful drugs that attack cancer cells and prevent their spread. Historically, the main drawback of chemotherapy drugs has

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Research spotlight: Bohao Dong (The University of Melbourne)

2024 Research Spotlight, Archaeology and Geosciences, Environmental Science, PGRA, Research, Research Spotlight /

by Georgia Barrington-Smith, 31st October 2024 The Environmental History of the Great Barrier Reef, as told by a Giant Clam Shell Although archaeology has made waves on land, we know comparatively little about the history beneath our shores. A few centuries ago, the Earth experienced a Little Ice Age (LIA) with harsh winters and cool

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AINSE 2024 Gold Medal Ceremony and Networking Dinner

Gold Medal, Outreach, PGRA, Research, SAAFE /

On Tuesday 21st May 2024, AINSE Scholar Gold Medals for excellence and impact in research were formally awarded to: The Gold Medal ceremony was hosted from the AINSE Theatre and livestreamed via Zoom, with Dr. Paull and his family present in the Theatre and Dr. Meng joining remotely from Switzerland. Dr. Meng and Dr. Paull

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2023 Year in Review

ECRG, Gold Medal, Honours, Outreach, PGRA, Postgraduate O'Week, Professional Development, Research, RSS, SAAFE, Uncategorized, Winter School, WISE /

We begin our review of 2023 by acknowledging the passing of Emeritus Professor John William White in August and reflecting on his enduring legacy. John was a member of the AINSE Council for 20 years, from 1988-2008, and served as the AINSE President from 2005-2006 and AINSE Vice-President from 2003-2004. In recognition of his long

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AINSE 2023 Award Ceremony and Networking Dinner

Gold Medal, Outreach, PGRA, Research /

On Tuesday 23rd May, AINSE Scholar Gold Medals for excellence and impact in research were formally awarded to Dr. Rhiannon Boseley (Curtin University) and Dr. Gemeng Liang (University of Wollongong). Dr. Boseley and Dr. Liang were joined by family, friends and colleagues as they were presented with the medals by AINSE Deputy Board Chair Helen Liossis and AINSE

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2022 Year in Review

ECRG, Gold Medal, Honours, Outreach, PGRA, Postgraduate O'Week, Professional Development, Research, RSS, SAAFE, Winter School, WISE /

2022 has been a year filled with many exciting successes that the AINSE staff wish to celebrate. However, it has also been a sombre year for AINSE, with the passing of Mr E.A. (Bill) Palmer in September. Bill was AINSE’s first Scientific Secretary/Executive Officer. He made enormous contributions as the leader of AINSE from 1959–1988,

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