The WA Agricultural Research Collaboration has announced its first cohort of 23 postgraduate scholarship students as part of a new program to inspire future leaders and grow agricultural innovation in the State.
The Postgraduate Research Scholarship Program will provide successful applicants with top-up scholarships to the value of $24,000 a year for up to 3.5 years, to support living expenses while completing their PhDs.
The students will also be part of a professional development program aimed at building their agricultural research and development knowledge, skills, networks and first-hand industry experience.
Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis and WAARC Director Kelly Pearce were among about 80 industry leaders and stakeholders who congratulated the scholarship students at the program’s launch event today.
Applications for round 1 of the program opened in March and attracted 58 submissions.
The final selection of 23 scholarship students will be supervised and supported by the Collaboration’s university members – Curtin University, Murdoch University and The University of Western Australia.
Dr Pearce said WAARC was excited and encouraged by the level of interest shown in its scholarship program and the quality of applicants and research topics.
“The PhD topics chosen by our scholarship recipients are innovative and diverse - from unlocking the potential of nitrogen use efficiency genes in wheat, to human factors affecting the adoption and diffusion of novel biotechnology, and seed and plant production of Noongar plants with cultural significance for food and medicine,” she said.
“Several PhDs will be linked to broader WAARC research projects further enhancing those students’ experiences with cross-organisation collaboration and industry linkages.
“We look forward to seeing the results of these transformative research projects over the coming years.”
The scholarship program is a significant $2.25 million investment by the State Government in the WAARC to encourage bright research minds into the agriculture and food sector.
WAARC’s non-university members CSIRO, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Grower Group Alliance will provide access to leading industry researchers as possible co-supervisors, world-class research facilities, field sites, grower groups and industry networks.
“Our postgraduate scholarship students will be part of a multi-organisational network of talented WAARC researchers and industry leaders focused on projects that respond to emerging challenges and opportunities within our agriculture and food sector,” Dr Pearce said.
The students’ research projects will be aligned with one or more of WAARC’s six key research programs: Northern Agriculture, Grains Transformation, Climate Resilience, Agricultural Technologies, Aboriginal Science Engagement, and Capacity Building and Extension.
For a full list of the scholarship students, their university placements and research topics, please visit www.waagresearch.org.au.
The remaining 13 WAARC top-up scholarships will be allocated in round 2 of the program to be announced soon.
