The WAARC Web

Guest: Rakshith Gowda   Host: Mahnaz Afsar   In the final episode of Season 2 of Cultivating the Future , Mahnaz Afsar speaks with Rakshith Gowda, a PhD researcher in crop genetics and pre-breeding, about the race to develop heat-tolerant barley for a changing climate. Originally from India, Rakshith completed his Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Master’s in Genetics and Plant Breeding before...

Guest: Ben Camer-Pesci Host: Tarkjot Kaur   In this episode of Cultivating the Future , host Tarkjot Kaur turns the microphone around to interview fellow Murdoch University PhD student Ben Camer-Pesci, exploring the interdisciplinary world of phycology and its emerging role in sustainable agriculture and bioproduct development. Now in the second year of his PhD, Ben’s research spans multiple disci...

Guest: Tarkjot Kaur Host: Ben Camer-Pesci In this episode of Cultivating the Future , Ben Camer-Pesci speaks with Tarkjot Kaur, a PhD student at Murdoch University, about advancing grain yield potential in barley and oats through genetics and data-driven breeding. Growing up in a Punjabi agricultural family in India, Tarkjot developed an early connection to farming systems and crop production, exp...

Guest: Mohitul Hossain Host: Celia Spyridaki  In this episode of Cultivating the Future , Celia Spyridaki speaks with Mohitul Hossain, a PhD student at the Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM) at Curtin University, about the next generation of genome-enabled tools for crop disease surveillance. Mohitul shares his international academic journey, completing forestry studies across Banglades...

Guest: Chris Reed Host: Ali Zahid In this episode of Cultivating the Future , Ali Zahid sits down with Chris Reed, a first-year PhD candidate and WAARC Scholar based at Murdoch University’s Western Crop Genetics Alliance. Chris’s research tackles a persistent challenge for Western Australian barley growers: black point , a grain defect that reduces quality and causes significant economic losses fo...

Guest: Yunlong Huo Host: Angelia Tanu In this episode of Cultivating the Future , Angelia Tanu sits down with Yunlong Huo, a PhD candidate at Murdoch University , to explore his journey from industry back into research.  With two Master’s degrees in animal nutrition and a decade of experience in the cattle industry, Yunlong is now focused on strengthening the downstream side of beef production. Hi...

Guest: Angelia Tanu Host: Yunlong Huo In this episode of Cultivating the Future , Yunlong Huo chats with Angelia Tanu. Angelia is a CSIRO and The University of Western Australia (UWA) PhD student whose journey into agricultural science began far from the paddock, growing up in Indonesia and discovering a passion for research after moving to Western Australia. A former tennis athlete who represente...

Guest: Ali Zahid Host: Chris Reed In this episode of Cultivating the Future , Chris Reed chats with Ali Zahid. Originally from Pakistan, Ali is a PhD student at Murdoch University where he is looking into the training of generalist predators by investigating how dietary experience influences predatory behaviour of ladybird beetles. Stay up-to-date with WAARC: Website LinkedIn Facebook X

Guest: Saira Azmat Host: Montana Baddeley In this episode of Cultivating the Future , Montana Baddeley chats with Saira Azmat , who grew up in Pakistan and completed her early education and Masters there before moving to Western Australia for her PhD at The University of Western Australia. Saira’s research is focused entirely on agriculture, addressing some of Western Australia’s most pressing cha...

Guest: Ruby Wiese Host: Hitashi Aggarwal In this episode of Cultivating the Future , Hitashi Aggarwal chats with Ruby Wiese, who grew up on a cropping and livestock farm near Narrogin, WA, and is now completing her PhD in agricultural science at The University of Western Australia.  Ruby’s research is part of a project developing a new method for harvesting subterranean clover, a key pasture legum...

Guest: Huyen Pham Host: Georgia Welsh In this episode of Cultivating the Future , Georgia Welsh sits down with Huyen Pham, a passionate agricultural researcher originally from Vietnam.  Now in the third year of her PhD at The University of Western Australia, Huyen shares her journey from studying Agroecology in Japan to investigating how wheat roots interact with soil.  Her research focuses on rhi...

Guest: Montana Baddeley Host: Roberto Lujan Rocha In this episode of Cultivating the Future , Roberto Lujan Rocha speaks with Montana Baddeley, a PhD student at The University of Western Australia.  Originally from Geraldton, Montana’s passion for livestock genetics began on her family’s horse stud and evolved into a multidisciplinary research career.  Her PhD, supported by the WA Agricultural Res...

Guest: Hitashi Aggarwal Host: Ruby Wiese In this episode of Cultivating the Future , Ruby Wiese speaks with Hitashi Aggarwal, a PhD student at Murdoch University with roots in the agricultural heartland of Punjab, India.  Hitashi shares how growing up in a farming community inspired her passion for agricultural science and plant genetics.  Now, her research focuses on using CRISPR/Cas gene editing...

Guest: Georgia Welsh Host: Huyen Pham In this episode of Cultivating the Future , Huyen Pham chats with Georgia Welsh, a 26-year-old animal production scientist and PhD candidate at Murdoch University.  Georgia shares her journey from Perth city life into agriculture, driven by a passion for livestock research. Her current work focuses on improving lamb survival by using forage crops like saltbush...

Guest: Roberto Lujan Rocha Host: Montana Baddeley Welcome to Cultivating the Future, a podcast where participants in the WA Agricultural Research Collaboration’s Postgraduate Research Scholarship Program take turns behind the mic, sharing their journeys, insights and the impact their work will have on farmers across the State. On this episode, Roberto Lujan Rocha chats to Montana Baddeley about hi...