Advancing research in plant energy biology

The Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Plant Energy Biology has been officially launched at The University of Western Australia (UWA).

The centre comprises more than 100 staff and students conducting research under the direction of 10 chief investigators across four Australian university nodes: UWA, The University of Adelaide, the Australian National University and La Trobe University.

The centre, which first received funding form the ARC in 2005, has been awarded $26 million for 2014-2020.

The aim of the centre’s collaborative research its to enhance understanding of plant energy systems and develop new approaches in agriculture to help sustain and improve crop yields - in particular in environments where resources (such as water, nutrients, fertiliser) are limited and changing.

The centre is led by distinguished researcher, Winthrop Professor Harvey Millar, who was recently the first Australian to receive the prestigious Charles Albert Shull Award, presented by the American Society of Plant Biologists. Millar was also recently listed by Thomson-Reuters as one of the world’s most highly cited and influential researchers.

The centre also conducts an education, training and outreach program to engage Australians with plant energy research and was awarded the Chevron Science Engagement Initiative of the Year Award at the 2013 Western Australian Science Awards.

The centre has a number of academic and industry partnerships in place nationally and internationally.