It is with pleasure that I welcome you to the first edition of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture newsletter. This newsletter will be one of the ways we will keep you up to date with all the activities happening in the Centre and we hope that you find great value in it.
Since receiving funding we have been busy laying the foundations for the Centre including developing Governance structures, recruiting, and creating research plans. We are in the process of developing a full website which we look forward to sharing with you soon. In the meantime, you can visit our landing page to ‘put a face to the name’ for all of our Chief Investigators and the Centre Office for Research Management and Support (CORMS) team.
COVID-19 has been a challenge, not only in terms of getting the Centre up and running but, of course, has also touched all aspects of our lives. I am mindful of the impact it has had on the members of our Centre, especially the disruptions caused to Honours and PhD students, and those with close family and friends overseas. I have found it useful to check out online resources such as This Way Up to manage during this challenging time. We value the continued support of all our partner organisations and are looking forward to delivering excellent research outcomes with you all.
Here at the Centre for Plant Success, we believe that through biology, mathematics and responsible innovation, we can increase the odds of success in plant breeding, accelerate the breeding process, double the rate of genetic gain and transform the industry. By learning what knowledge is transferable between species, we can broaden the knowledge of all species, thereby increasing the diversity of food crops and ultimately the dietary nutrition of people all over the world.
Our program of work is arranged as 3 iterative pathways:
One of the exciting aspects of the Centre is the respect and collaboration between our diverse researchers. Through these interdisciplinary collaborations, and strong industrial and global partnerships we will combine biological discovery with advanced mathematics to extend our research across diverse natural and crop systems. Together we can be impact-driven and provide solutions to the critical issues of climate change and food security.
Best wishes,
Professor Christine Beveridge FAA
Centre Director and ARC Laureate Fellow
