Plants for Space Senior Management Group
Centre Director
Chief Operating Officer
Centre Deputy Director
University of Adelaide
Professor Matthew Gilliham was trained in ecology and plant physiology in the UK. He has been cultivating a productive and specific runway to create and lead P4S, building upon many leadership roles and 20 years’ experience at the cutting edge of plant solute transport and signalling research. In p
University of Adelaide
Professor Matthew Gilliham was trained in ecology and plant physiology in the UK. He has been cultivating a productive and specific runway to create and lead P4S, building upon many leadership roles and 20 years’ experience at the cutting edge of plant solute transport and signalling research. In particular, Matthew has focused his research career in crop plant nutrition and stress resilience with notable advances in salinity and drought tolerance, and GABA signalling.
Matthew’s expertise will guide Plants for Space’ goals to adapt plants to space environments, and the production of novel bio products to enable long-term space habitation. Matthew’s lead in program 4.2 will ensure the industry-ready translation pipeline for this research to be used not only in space, but also to improve on Earth sustainability.
Matthew is a Clarivate highly cited researcher and member of the ARC College of Experts; prior to establishing P4S was Director of the Waite Research Institute, and ARC Future Fellow.
“I could not go to Space without us first developing a fabulous plant-based cheese"
Centre Deputy Director
Chief Operating Officer
Centre Deputy Director
University of Adelaide
Melissa de Zwart is Professor at the University of Adelaide and prominent legal researcher working in the areas of commercial and military uses of outer space. She is a member of International Institute of Space Law, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, a Lieutenant in the Royal Australian
University of Adelaide
Melissa de Zwart is Professor at the University of Adelaide and prominent legal researcher working in the areas of commercial and military uses of outer space. She is a member of International Institute of Space Law, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, a Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy (Reserve) and the Deputy Director of the Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space.
Melissa’s expertise in domestic and international space law will lead P4S in challenging the complex regulatory environment that arises with the creation of novel technology. Melissa’s extensive experience in academic and professional administration supports not only her role as program lead, but also her role as P4S deputy director.
“I could not go to Space without my copy of the Outer Space Treaty 1967”
Centre Deputy Director
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Operating Officer
University of Melbourne
Professor Sally Gras is a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at The University of Melbourne, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and currently Director of the ARC Digital Bioprocess Development Hub, Dairy Innovation Hub and the Faster, Smarter Pharma & Food Manufacturing Program a
University of Melbourne
Professor Sally Gras is a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at The University of Melbourne, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and currently Director of the ARC Digital Bioprocess Development Hub, Dairy Innovation Hub and the Faster, Smarter Pharma & Food Manufacturing Program and Deputy Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space.
Within the Melbourne School of Engineering at The University of Melbourne, Sally leads the Food and Agribusiness research theme and is Associate Director of the Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, where her multi-disciplinary research group is based.
Sally trained as a Chemical Engineer and Molecular Biologist and received her PhD in protein biophysics from Cambridge University, U.K.
Sally’s current research activities focus on, among others food and biopharmaceutical production. This includes the structure and function of foods including dairy products, plant protein extraction and assembly. She also works on the extraction of naturally occurring biopharmaceuticals, the production and modification of biopharmaceuticals by cell culture, fermentation, biotransformation. Her interests extend from product and process development to process analytical technologies and process control, she also works on mechanistic and hybrid model development, as well as scaling and translating processes to pilot scale and manufacture. Sally’s expertise in these research topics will be the driving force for P4S’ sustainable processing of biomolecules into food and pharmaceuticals needed for long-term space habitation.
"I could not go to space without a good meal plan and the right ingredients and equipment to make it all possible"
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Operating Officer
University of Adelaide
Dr Richard Harvey is the Centre’s Chief Operating Officer, and former postdoctoral research fellow in molecular biology. He researched molecular microbiology and host-pathogen interactions as a student and postdoc at the University of Adelaide. Following his postdoc, Richard made a foray into politics
University of Adelaide
Dr Richard Harvey is the Centre’s Chief Operating Officer, and former postdoctoral research fellow in molecular biology. He researched molecular microbiology and host-pathogen interactions as a student and postdoc at the University of Adelaide. Following his postdoc, Richard made a foray into politics as a Member of the South Australian Parliament, but recently returned to the University of Adelaide as program manager for a large research centre within the Australian Institute for Machine Learning prior to joining Plants for Space.
Richard’s extensive experience in working in research environments as well as leadership roles, stakeholder engagement and communications will be of great value to P4S to ensure great collaborative work across different disciplines, and to solve previously intractable problems.
Chief Investigators
University of Western Australia
Professor Ryan Lister is an NHMRC Investigator and member of the International Space Centre, and leads research laboratories at the University of Western Australia School of Molecular Sciences and the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. Ryan’s research is focused upon understanding the
University of Western Australia
Professor Ryan Lister is an NHMRC Investigator and member of the International Space Centre, and leads research laboratories at the University of Western Australia School of Molecular Sciences and the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. Ryan’s research is focused upon understanding the role of the epigenome in regulating cell identity, and developing molecular tools to manipulate the epigenome and gene activity to control cell functions.
Ryan’s extensive experience in plant science, epigenetics, genomics, stem cells, and cell reprogramming drives his focus on the creation of completely new programmable biological factories for Plants for Space. Ryan’s research has pioneered new (epi)genomics technologies to create foundational maps of the epigenome in plants and humans, and developed new molecular tools to precisely reprogram the (epi)genome and gene activity. This focus suits the lead for P4S program 2.1 perfectly, to create smart plants for rapid, versatile, and on-demand biomolecule synthesis through understanding and manipulating plant life at the molecular level.
“I could not go to Space without a sneaky bottle of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce"
University of Western Australia
Professor Harvey Millar is an ARC Australian Laureate Fellow, research node leader in P4S and board member at the International Space Centre at the University of Western Australia, and conducts research at UWA’s School of Molecular Sciences. His previous research involves mitochondrial function,
University of Western Australia
Professor Harvey Millar is an ARC Australian Laureate Fellow, research node leader in P4S and board member at the International Space Centre at the University of Western Australia, and conducts research at UWA’s School of Molecular Sciences. His previous research involves mitochondrial function, central metabolism and protein complex assembly in plants, proteomics in Arabidopsis, wheat and barley and the energy efficiency of plants in harsh environments.
To identify and optimise ‘complete nutrition’ plants in the challenging environment of Space, Harvey’s current research is a launch pad for P4S program 1.2. His research ‘firsts’ that will help promote the search for a crop to bring together optimised concentrations of essential macro- and micro-nutrients are, among others, the exploration of the first plant mitochondrial proteomes, new insights into carbon and nitrogen metabolism during plant stress regimes relevant for Space, detailed assessments of protein turnover rates in plants and the role of mitochondrial transport processes in plant energy efficiency.
“I could not go to Space without a plan to return in one piece”
University of Adelaide
Professor Volker Hessel is currently active in teaching and research in the School of Chemical Engineering of the University of Adelaide. His multidisciplinary background and extensive expertise in academic as well as in industry R&D will support Volker as the lead of Plants for Space program 3.1 lead.
V
University of Adelaide
Professor Volker Hessel is currently active in teaching and research in the School of Chemical Engineering of the University of Adelaide. His multidisciplinary background and extensive expertise in academic as well as in industry R&D will support Volker as the lead of Plants for Space program 3.1 lead.
Volker’s current research activities are fully suited to drive the simulation of Space conditions on Earth to find digital and physical twins of plant and food production systems to ensure the provision of tasty nutrition for future space explorers. Volker’s track record of transformative industry changes and his dedication to sustainability challenges have provided many life-cycle/cost/circularity/ESGassessments that are used worldwide, and will form the basis for discovery for Plants for Space as well.
“I could not go to Space without having good time with good mates over good food”
La Trobe University
A/Prof Kim Johnson is a senior research fellow and lecturer in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment at La Trobe University. Her strong scientific background has helped her in STEM education and outreach collaborations, where she co-created engaging educational and community programs such as
La Trobe University
A/Prof Kim Johnson is a senior research fellow and lecturer in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment at La Trobe University. Her strong scientific background has helped her in STEM education and outreach collaborations, where she co-created engaging educational and community programs such as STEM in Agriculture, Ambassadors for Agriculture and ‘Taste Tomorrow’. As such a beacon of education and outreach, Kim will be a strong lead for program 4.1, training over 400 exceptional undergraduate and HDR students and providing outreach to 200,000 primary and secondary students during the course of Plants for Space.
Kim’s work within the La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food aims to develop more efficient crops by studying how plant cell walls influence growth. Her work will greatly support the Plants for Space goals to make food that is nutritious and enjoyable.
“I could not go to Space without UGG boots"
University of Western Australia
Professor Ian Small is a researcher at the University of Western Australia in Molecular Sciences. Ian’s extensive experience with leading an ARC Centre of Excellence (for Plant Energy Biology) as Director will be highly valuable in the role as UWA Node Lead for Plants for Space.
Ian’s career has t
University of Western Australia
Professor Ian Small is a researcher at the University of Western Australia in Molecular Sciences. Ian’s extensive experience with leading an ARC Centre of Excellence (for Plant Energy Biology) as Director will be highly valuable in the role as UWA Node Lead for Plants for Space.
Ian’s career has taken him all over the world with a PhD at Edinburgh, a position with France’s National Agronomy Research Institute (INRA) and appointments in Western Australia, ensuring he has ample experience for the guidance of the centre through smooth communication and leading collaboration.
Furthermore, his extensive experience in research on post-transcriptional control of gene expression via RNA-binding proteins, protein synthesis and protein targeting will be invaluable for P4S. Ian’s team will play the decisive role in the development of technology platforms required to achieve the aims of programs 2.1 and 2.2, where smart plants as programmable biological factories and sustainable processing of biomolecules into usable products are at the forefront.
"I could not go to Space without a return ticket"
University of Melbourne
Professor Michelle Watt holds the Adrienne Clarke Chair of Botany at the University of Melbourne, and is the President of the International Society of Root Research.
Michelle’s expertise in whole plant physiology will support Plants for Space through her work towards ‘pick & eat’ plants for program 1,
University of Melbourne
Professor Michelle Watt holds the Adrienne Clarke Chair of Botany at the University of Melbourne, and is the President of the International Society of Root Research.
Michelle’s expertise in whole plant physiology will support Plants for Space through her work towards ‘pick & eat’ plants for program 1, to re-engineer root systems for regeneration and successive strategic harvesting of crops long-term. Her previous positions as a Director of the Plant Sciences Institute at the Helmholtz Centre, Forschungszentrum Juelich, Professor of Crop Root Physiology at the University of Bonn, as well as researcher at CSIRO in Australia researching root-rhizosphere processes, have culminated to her perfect appointment within Plants for Space as University of Melbourne lead – ensuring world-class research combined with high-level coordination across the Australian nodes and international partners.
“I could not go to Space without a picture of my daughter”
University of Adelaide
Associate Professor Jenny Mortimer is researcher and lecturer at the University of Adelaide School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Affiliate Staff Scientist at Berkeley Lab, USA, and Director of Plant Systems Biology at the Join BioEnergy Institute (JBEI).
Jenny has extensive expertise in plant biochemi
University of Adelaide
Associate Professor Jenny Mortimer is researcher and lecturer at the University of Adelaide School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Affiliate Staff Scientist at Berkeley Lab, USA, and Director of Plant Systems Biology at the Join BioEnergy Institute (JBEI).
Jenny has extensive expertise in plant biochemistry, physiology and glycobiology and is putting her knowledge to work in developing Space agriculture projects for the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources, and researching promising Space / Closed Environment Agriculture crops such as duckweed. Her expertise in monocot transformation and synthetic biology will be used to optimise tools for duckweed and other target plants to enable their use for on-demand or large-scale biomolecule production will provide support for program 2.1. Jenny’s focus here will be on the production of novel biomaterials.
Furthermore, the majority of her research career has been at the interface of basic and applied science: exploring and redesigning plant biology to help humanity overcome new challenges – which she will continue to do as the University of Adelaide Plants for Space node lead.
"I could not go to space without my headphones and a library of music and audiobooks. And a box of Yorkshire tea bags"
La Trobe University
Professor Mathew Lewsey is researcher and lecturer in Animal, Plant and Soil Sciences at La Trobe University (Melbourne), appointed visiting professor with Universidad Andrés Bello (Santiago, Chile) and Co-Deputy Director of the ARC Research Hub for Medicinal Agriculture.
Mathew’s expertise in organism-sca
La Trobe University
Professor Mathew Lewsey is researcher and lecturer in Animal, Plant and Soil Sciences at La Trobe University (Melbourne), appointed visiting professor with Universidad Andrés Bello (Santiago, Chile) and Co-Deputy Director of the ARC Research Hub for Medicinal Agriculture.
Mathew’s expertise in organism-scale, single-cell resolution mapping of gene expression and modelling regulatory networks has generated recent technological advances in single-cell and spatial transcriptomics. This exquisite research will be used through the Lewsey lab for Plants for Space, to assist in modifying plant networks in a precise, targeted fashion to improve plant growth or biomolecule synthesis / sequestration in programs 1.1 and 2.1.
As La Trobe University Node leader, Mathew will ensure coordinated interactions between La Trobe and the other Australian institutions, as well as support the Victorian Space Science Education Centre through outreach and engagement activities – enthusing the next generation of Space researchers and plant biologists.
“I could not go to Space without my bicycle”
Flinders University
Professor Eva Kemps is a senior researcher at Flinders University in South Australia at the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, co-convenor of the Australasian Forum on Emerging Research in Cognition and Emotion, and a member of the Flinders University Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing.
E
Flinders University
Professor Eva Kemps is a senior researcher at Flinders University in South Australia at the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, co-convenor of the Australasian Forum on Emerging Research in Cognition and Emotion, and a member of the Flinders University Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Eva’s research and expertise brings an important psychological perspective to the research activities of Plants for Space, in particular those focused on human–plant interactions. Her extensive knowledge on the multi-sensory elements of food cravings, will guide the development of new methodologies to measure individual preferences in the visual appeal, taste, smell and texture of plant-based foods to ascertain the sensory features of plant aesthetics and food intake to produce psychological benefits for astronauts.
Eva’s role as node leader for Flinders University will support important synergies in the South Australian cluster of the Centre, and will be ensure smooth collaboration with Australian institutions and international P4S partners.
“I could not go to Space without chocolate”
University of Adelaide
Professor Matthew Tucker is a researcher and lecturer at the University of Adelaide within the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Deputy Director of the Waite Research Institute, Chair of the Institutional Biosafety Committee, and Chief Investigator on the ARC Training Centre for Future Crops Devel
University of Adelaide
Professor Matthew Tucker is a researcher and lecturer at the University of Adelaide within the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Deputy Director of the Waite Research Institute, Chair of the Institutional Biosafety Committee, and Chief Investigator on the ARC Training Centre for Future Crops Development.
Matthew is a plant biologist with prevalent knowledge in plant reproduction, shoot growth and seed development – his expertise will give substantial support to program P1 in order to modify plant growth, development, and composition to optimise suitability for contained environments. This work will build on his current research program that aims to understand development of nutrient transfer tissues, reproductive tissue development, and the consequences of altered vegetative growth on seed quality and germination (in collaboration with GRDC, SAGIT, and industry partners).
Matthew will also bring extensive regulatory knowledge of gene technology, particularly the use of GM and CRISPR in plants, which will be core technologies for Plants for Space.
“I could not go to Space without a Star Wars t-shirt, motion sickness pills, and my golf clubs. ”
University of Melbourne
Associate Professor Sigfredo Fuentes is researcher in The Digital Agriculture & Food Sciences (DAFW) Research Group in the School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences. Faculty of Science at The University of Melbourne, Distinguished Visiting Professor at The Faculty of Engineering of The Tec
University of Melbourne
Associate Professor Sigfredo Fuentes is researcher in The Digital Agriculture & Food Sciences (DAFW) Research Group in the School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences. Faculty of Science at The University of Melbourne, Distinguished Visiting Professor at The Faculty of Engineering of The Tecnologico de Monterrey (Mexico) and holds the position of international coordinator for The Vineyard of The Future Initiative.
Sigfredo’s primary research and teaching interests revolve around the utilization and development of cutting-edge instrumentation and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for plant physiology research, digital agriculture, biometrics from humans for sensory science, and animals for welfare and identification assessment. These novel digital technologies using non-invasive remote sensing for plants and biometrics for humans will support the development and refinement of plant-based products for Plants for Space.
Sigfredo’s research easily excites high levels of public interest and will provide an excellent vehicle to communicate with and engage school students and the community about P4S.
“I could not go to Space without a variety of food and beverages to avoid menu fatigue. The P4S research is one giant leap toward making long-term space exploration a delicious and nutritious reality. We are excited to be at the forefront of this cosmic culinary adventure, bringing us one step closer to reaching for the stars by having a stellar menu for the astronauts of the future. ”
University of Adelaide
Professor Christine Feinle-Bisset is a research fellow at the University of Adelaide Medical School, President of the Australasian Neurogastroenterology and Motility Association (Australia) and a member of the Rome V Committee on Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction (US).
Christine’s research i
University of Adelaide
Professor Christine Feinle-Bisset is a research fellow at the University of Adelaide Medical School, President of the Australasian Neurogastroenterology and Motility Association (Australia) and a member of the Rome V Committee on Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction (US).
Christine’s research is clinical and relates to the impact of nutrients on appetite, gastrointestinal motor and hormone function and perception, in health, obesity and functional dyspepsia. Her deep knowledge of nutrient digestion in the human gastrointestinal tract will be critical in Plants for Space’ program 2.2to characterise the digestibility of novel plant-based foods and food extracts, generated in programs 1 and 2. This work will have a strong focus on the identification of novel food products that have a high nutritional value, with a focus on optimising digestibility and, thus, metabolic availability to ensure benefits of these products for consumers both on Earth, as well as for optimal nutrition in Space environments
“I could not go to Space without a loaf of home-made wholemeal bread, my hiking boots and Bach’s Französische Suiten played by Andras Schiff.”