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Landmark study to improve global wheat production
Nov 25th, 2020
In a landmark study, an international team of scientists, including researchers from The University of Western Australia, have sequenced and analysed the genomes of 15 wheat varieties that represent breeding programs from around the world.

The research provides the most comprehensive atlas of wheat genome sequences reported to date.

Wheat, one of the world’s most cultivated crops, requires its production to be increased by more than 50 per cent by 2050 in order to meet the...

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PEB’S 2020 Highly Cited Researchers
Nov 17th, 2020
The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology is proud to announce that five of its Chief Investigators - Professors Matthew Gilliham, Ryan Lister, Harvey Millar, Barry Pogson and Steve Tyerman - have been named as Highly Cited Researchers on the 2020 list from Clarivate Web of Science™.

The annual list identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade. Their names are drawn from the publications that rank in the top 1% by...

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ARC funding successes for Plant Energy Biology
Nov 16th, 2020
ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology researchers and Centre Affiliates have had funding success in the 2021 Australian Research Council Major Grants round.

PEB Investigators and Affiliates, including Prof. Ryan Lister, Prof. Justin Borevitz, Prof. Rachel Burton, Prof. Ian Small, Prof. James Whelan, Dr Monika Murcha, Prof. Matthew Gilliham, Dr Mark Waters and Dr Michael Considine lead eight successfully funded...

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Women in Tech award for founder of the Virtual Plant Cell
Nov 6th, 2020
A Tech [+] Award has been presented to Karina Price, Science Communications Officer for the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology for her work as a woman in technology. This includes her leadership of PEB’s educational virtual reality program, Virtual Plant Cell.

Women in Technology Western Australia (WiTWA)'s Tech [+] Awards celebrate and acknowledge incredible women in tech [+] in Western Australia. The 2020 Awards were presented to twenty recipients during a celebration of diversity and inclusion at Optus...

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1000 Discoveries Campaign
Nov 5th, 2020
In 2020, PEB hit a milestone 1000 publications. To celebrate, we’re recounting some of the biggest, weirdest, most impactful and most surprising discoveries of the last 15 years.

Once every five days. That’s how often our researchers have published papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, on average, since the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology (PEB) was founded in 2005.

The world-leading Australian...

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Webinar: Creating Crops for the Future: Challenges, Technology and Sustainable Solutions
Nov 1st, 2020
This seminar has passed. A recording can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/Rt63wUB9XTI

One of the most urgent scientific challenges of the 21st century lies in ensuring that we have enough food for the growing global population. Join us for this special event where three experts in the field of plant science will speak on how scientists...

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Rediscovering the first known plant cyclic peptide
Oct 28th, 2020
In June 2019, a botanist cut a handful of dark, shiny leaves from a slender understory tree in the rainforest of northeastern Australia.

Original story published by ASBMB Today. Written by Laurel Oldach.

In...

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Professor Ryan Lister: the on/off switch for our genes
Oct 2nd, 2020
How Jurassic Park inspired WA’s joint Scientist of the Year to become a world leader in epigenomics.

Written by Michelle Wheeler. Originally published by Particle.

As a teenager, UWA’s Professor Ryan Lister read a book that would inspire his...

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Ryan Lister a WA Scientist of the Year
Sep 30th, 2020
A researcher from The University of Western Australia who has made significant advancements in understanding molecular programming in cells which determines how living creatures function has been awarded joint Scientist of the Year in the 2020 Premier’s Science Awards.

Professor Ryan Lister, Chief Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology and a Professor of Genome Sciences at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research is a pioneer in the field of epigenomics – the study of the molecular code that...

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UWA finalists announced in Premier's Science Awards
Aug 5th, 2020
Six leading academics and four students from The University of Western Australia have been announced as finalists in the 2020 Premier’s Science Awards, which celebrate the achievements of the Western Australian science community.

Professor Wendy Erber from UWA’s School of Biomedical Sciences, Professor Ryan Lister from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology and Professor Eric May from the Faculty of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences were among the...

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UWA PLANT BIOCHEMIST AWARDED ARC LAUREATE FELLOWSHIP
Jul 7th, 2020
A plant biochemist from The University of Western Australia who is working to create sustainable protein resources from crops for new industries has been awarded a prestigious national Fellowship.

Professor Harvey Millar from UWA’s School of Molecular Sciences and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology has received a prestigious Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Fellowship, announced today by the Minister for Education,...

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Three UWA scientists named Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science
May 25th, 2020
Three top science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) researchers from The University of Western Australia have been elected as 2020 Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science. They make up the total number of scientists representing WA from 24 Australians elected as Fellows this year.

Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science are among the nation’s most distinguished scientists, elected by their peers for groundbreaking research and contributions that have had substantial impact to advance knowledge.

UWA’s Professor Robyn...

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Genetic discovery sheds light on sodium accumulation in barley crops
May 25th, 2020
An international team of scientists have identified a naturally occurring gene variation that influences sodium content in barley crops. The finding could help to advance the development of barley varieties with greater yield and better resilience to varying salt conditions.

In the latest issue of Communications Biology, the research team led by scientists at the James Hutton Institute together with researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant...

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Wheat breeding tool set to optimise energy use efficiency
Apr 21st, 2020
Researchers report important progress in developing a new tool to realise the next generation of wheat yield gains.
Article originally published by author Dr Gio Braidotti in GRDC's GroundCover. Read in full here. The tool takes the form of an index that...
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How invasive plants use fire to overtake natives
Apr 21st, 2020
Last summer’s horrific fires may have fundamentally changed Australian forests forever.

The bushfires of the 2019/20 summer were the most destructive Australia has ever seen. With more than 20% of...

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How did plants conquer land?
Mar 11th, 2020
An international study has found a drought alarm system that first appeared in freshwater algae may have enabled plants to move from water to land more than 450 million years ago - a big evolutionary step that led to the emergence of land animals, including humans.

Originally published by ANU Newsroom

Professor Barry Pogson, from The Australian National University (ANU) and one of the study's senior researchers, said humans...

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New science Ambassadors aim to put science on national agenda
Mar 6th, 2020
Science & Technology Australia (STA) has today announced 16 STEM Ambassadors who will work together with their local MP to help bridge the gap between science and government in Australia.

This announcement was originally published by Science & Technology Australia.

These STEM Ambassadors...

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How Science is Supersizing Your Veggies
Feb 26th, 2020
Have you ever thought that fruit and vegetables in the supermarket are getting bigger? That’s not just your imagination. And it’s not by accident either.

Written by Alex Dook, originally published by Particle.

Scientists like Dr Brendan O’Leary from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology...

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Scientists Uncover How Invasive Plants Gain a Headstart After Fire
Feb 25th, 2020
New research from The University of Western Australia has shed light on why some invasive plants make a better comeback after a fire, out-competing native species in the race for resources.

The findings, published today in Nature Communications, could help to improve revegetation efforts in regions affected by bushfires.

During bushfires, organic compounds called karrikins, named...

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Plants and Animals Sense Nutrients in the Same Way
Jan 28th, 2020
Researchers at The University of Western Australia have discovered that plants and animals use the same signalling process to manage their nutrient levels. The knowledge could help improve the use of energy in crops, leading to better yields in the future.

The study, published in the journal The Plant Cell, showed the similarities in how plants and animals balance their nutrient and energy levels was linked to a protein called Target of Rapamycin (TOR)....

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