Institute of Agriculture

After graduating in 1987, I worked as a technical officer with the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australian (DAFWA).

In 1991 I began the first of several research officer roles investigating the impact and management of plant viruses on grain crops.

In 1996 I became a senior research officer with the Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture at UWA. Later, I rejoined DAFWA as a plant pathologist and broadened my skills by working on a range of plant pathogens and numerous horticultural crops, including a role as the Quarantine Plant Pathologist for WA. This role introduced me to the world of plant biosecurity and government policy, both state and national.

Moving to Canberra I joined Plant Health Australia in a policy/process role. The successful bid to create the CRC for National Plant Biosecurity gave me the opportunity to return to research. This is a challenging role involving participants from all around Australia and strong links with international researchers in various countries.