Our Centre is an international collaboration of universities, government research agencies and the Australian plant biosecurity sector’s key stakeholders in training, research and technology, regulation and delivery.
The Australian National University (ANU) is leading the Training Centre in collaboration with James Cook University, the University of Canberra, and 27 partners from across industry and government.
Our partners include Research and Development Corporations (RDCs), industry representatives, Commonwealth, State and Territory governments, and research and technology organisations.
Executive Management Team
Peter Solomon
CENTRE DIRECTOR
Professor Peter Solomon is globally recognised for his research and leadership in plant diseases, with senior leadership positions on international boards and committees. He has managed research programs with translational outcomes for end-users.
Sarah Adams
CHIEF OPERATIng OFFICER
Sarah Adams has a track record of supporting research collaborations between universities and partner organisations, and is a science communicator with passion for sharing research with a wide audience.
Dianne Gleeson
DEPUTY DIRECTOr, Research
Professor Dianne Gleeson is currently the Director of the National eDNA Reference Centre (NRC). She has an extensive track record in research that is collaborative and end-user focussed.
Lori Lach
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, Training and Education
Professor Lori Lach is nationally and internationally recognised for her research in biological invasions and plant-insect interactions as they affect conservation and agriculture.
Mostafa Rahimi Azghadi
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, Engagement
Professor Mostafa Rahimi Azghardi conducts research in neural-inspired computing, embedded systems design, and hardware acceleration of machine learning algorithms, focusing on applications in agriculture.
PhD students
Lavi Singh
Lavi Singh is an Australian National University student working on our project Molecular characterisation of rust pathogens.
Samantha Whitling
Samantha Whitling is an Australian National University student working on our project Molecular characterisation of rust pathogens.
Bethany Perry
Bethany Perry is a University of Canberra student working on our project Invasive snails as vectors of pathogens and parasites.
Alphonsa Baby
Alphonsa Baby is a James Cook University, Townsville student working on our project Target gene discovery for locust control
Giullia de Freitas Rossi
Giullia de Freitas Rossi is an Australian National University student based in Brisbane, working on our project Taxonomy and biology of Euwallacea shot hole borer beetles
Jowell Darwiche
Jowell Darwiche is an Australian National University student based in Sydney, working on our project Identification of fruit fly biomarkers using mass spectrometry
Claudio Cipriani
Claudio Cipriani is an James Cook University student based in Brisbane, working on our project Resolving the pumpkin fruit fly complex
Sylvia Jepkemboi
Sylvia Jepkemboi is a University of Canberra student working on our project Transformational molecular approaches for forest pests and pathogens
Jessica Kriticos
Jessica Kriticos is an Australian National University student based in Canberra, working on our project Ranking priority plant pest and diseases and their preparedness activities
Stephanie Morgan
Stephanie Morgan is a James Cook University student based in Melbourne working on our project Plant disease diagnostics in tissue culture
Shiron Thalagala
Shiron Thalagala is a student at James Cook University based at Townsville, working on our project Smart plant biosecurity surveillance of airborne fungal pathogens using machine learning
Yufan Zheng
Yufan Zheng is a University of Canberra student based in Canberra working on our project Data driven decision models for forest biosecurity
Aphrika Gregson
Aphrika Gregson is a student at The Australian National University based in Orange, working on our project Social licence during biosecurity outbreaks
Addam Corallo
Addam Corallo is a University of Canberra student based in Melbourne working on our project Water sampling for detection of vegetable pathogens
Yilin Bai
Yilin Bai is a student at The Australian National University based in Canberra, working on our project Investigating scale and mealybug control in Australian viticulture
Viviana Aya Vargas
Viviana Aya Vargas is a James Cook University student based in Cairns working on our project Exotic moth borers – Conservation biocontrol
Shimi Jose
Shimi Jose is a student at The Australian National University based in Canberra, working on our project Natural and synthetic antibodies to identify spider mite eggs during import
Esteve Mesen Porras
Esteve Mesen Porras is a student at The Australian National University based in Canberra working on our project Fall armyworm population genomics and biocontrol options
Vida Burger
Vida Burger is a student at The Australian National University based in Canberra, working on our project Epidemiology of Botryosphaeriaceae associated with mango dieback
Xin Zhu
Xin Zhu is a James Cook University student based in Townsville working on our project SmartWeed: AI-enabled detection, mapping and decision support for weed management
Dilsha Rodrigo
Dilsha Rodrigo is a student at James Cook University based in Townsville, working on our project Enhancing grower engagement in preparedness activities
Postdoctoral research fellows
Dr Rachel Tulloch
Dr Rachel Tulloch is a postdoc starting soon at the University of Canberra on our project Determining provenance of biosecurity pests using new genomic technologies.
Dr Mohammad Jahanbakht
Dr Mohammad Jahanbakht is a postdoc at James Cook University on our project Remote sensing of priority weeds in sugarcane.
Dr Matthew S. Nurse
Dr Matthew Nurse is a postdoc at the Australian National University on our project Reducing harm from misinformation in plant biosecurity.