Meet The Team

Professor Michelle Watt

I am a biologist focused on discovering how plants function, and applying those discoveries to breeding plants that provide food and healthy environments for humans living on Earth and in space. We target the root systems of plants, which are understudied because of they are generally hidden, yet central to water and carbon solutions for plants adapted to resource-limited environments like Australia and space.

At the University of Melbourne (2020- present) I lead a multidisciplinary laboratory of early career researchers and students. With our collaborators, we apply genetic technologies and non-invasive root-soil imaging to ideotyping and creating enhanced plant genotypes.

I hold external positions as a member of the Southern Panel of the Australian Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and am a member of the Australian Research Council (ARC) College of Experts. Prior to joining the University of Melbourne, I was a Director and Professor at the Forschungszentrum Juelich and the University of Bonn in Germany (2015-2019), and before that, I was a scientist at the CSIRO (2002-2015).

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