Phil Brewer

LaTrobe University

Professor Phil Brewer is a plant biologist based at the La Trobe Institute of Sustainable Agriculture and Food. His research focuses on molecular biology, cell biology, and plant physiology, with an emphasis on how plants use hormonal signals to coordinate growth and respond to environmental stress.

Phil’s work on plant hormones, particularly the interaction between strigolactones and auxin, has advanced understanding of how plants regulate shoot branching, root architecture, and symbiotic relationships with fungi. His expertise will support program P1, which aims to optimise plant growth and architecture for contained and resource-limited environments. He will also contribute to program P2, informing strategies to engineer plants as biofactories for the sustainable production of food and essential compounds in closed-loop systems.

Phil completed his PhD at Monash University and has held research and academic roles at several leading institutions including the University of Adelaide, CQUniversity, the University of Queensland, and Tuebingen University. He was recognised as a World Top 2% Scientist in Stanford’s 2023 snapshot and brings extensive research leadership and mentoring experience to Plants for Space.

"I could not go to Space without coffee and red wine."