Ahead of National Reconciliation Week, we reflect on the importance of listening to and partnering with Indigenous leadership. In this opinion piece, QAAFI PhD Jacob Birch shares a vision for food systems that prioritise healthy people and healthy Country. 👉 bit.ly/4e0cF21

Bigger, tastier passionfruit could soon be on the way. 🍅 bit.ly/43k8NCY QAAFI's Dr Mobashwer Alam and Dr Patrick Mason are developing next-generation varieties with higher yields and declicious new flavours, working side-by-side with growers to ensure they deliver in real conditions.

QAAFI’s Dr Viviene Santiago and Dr Millicent Smith are taking science beyond the lab and into the community on 18 and 20 May. Join them at The Burrow in West End as they unpack global challenges, from tackling methane emissions to adapting crops for a hotter world. 👉 bit.ly/493RERo

📣We’re hiring a Principal Media and Content Officer at QAAFI. In this senior role, you’ll lead our media strategy, turn complex science into compelling stories and elevate the impact of world-class research across industry, government and the wider community. 👉 bit.ly/4wpUKJv

Join us for our next QAAFI Science Seminar with PhD candidate Anqi Li. 🧬Explore how the structure of food polysaccharide gels influences gut fermentation, microbial activity, and nutritional function, helping inform the design of functional food systems. 🕛12PM AEST, 19 May 🔗bit.ly/42xMMjM

The Animal Science Poster Olympics is on again for 2026! 🐄🐑🐖🐟 The competition brings together higher degree students and early career researchers to showcase work across genetics, nutrition, animal health, microbiology, and aquaculture. 🕛28 Aug, 1-4pm 📍St Lucia 🔗 bit.ly/4eAkJr7

What makes food spicy? 🌶️🤔 Our very own Prof Heather Smyth is helping curious kids find out on the 'Imagine This' podcast. Joining host Dr Niraj Lal, Heather explores where spice comes from, why it feels “hot,” and why milk can cool things down.🎧https://ab.co/4tdr7Ir

Careers in ag science aren’t always linear, and that’s a strength. Dr Barbara George-Jaeggli shares how ecology, crop physiology & sustainability thinking shaped her 30-year journey. 🔗 uqz.zoom.us/j/85453905376 🕛12pm AEST, 5 May

🧬 A new test gives Australian cattle producers more reliable insights to breed hornless (polled) herds. A/Prof Elizabeth Ross' team identified a hornless gene variant now used in Neogen’s Guarani Poll DNA test, detecting this mutation in Bos indicus breeds like Aus Brahman. 🔗 bit.ly/4dglCnv

Featured in Rural Business Magazine: QAAFI researchers Dr Karishma Mody and Yakun Yan are helping advance a chemical-free flystrike solution for sheep. Their BenPol research is a promising step toward better dsRNA delivery and real-world impact. 🔗https://bit.ly/4tTahQ8

Prof Ben Hayes will deliver a 2026 A. B. Chapman Lecture at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he will present “Unifying a Century Old Model and Emerging Biotech - What’s Next for Genomic Selection” 📅 April 29, 2026 🕓 4:00–5:00 PM CDT 🎥 livestream: bit.ly/4eJzY0P

Join Dr Barbara George-Jaeggli on our next QAAFI Science Seminar as she reflects on a 30-year journey shaped by sustainability, from ecology to crop physiology and beyond. 📍5 May 2026, 12pm AEST 🔗bit.ly/4vK8fTV

Research from UQ's Dr Chris Brosnan and team shows dsRNA-based biopesticides sprayed on leaves can travel into root systems and do NOT directly enter plant cells. Read all about the work in the latest edition of Hort Journal. https://hortjournal.com.au/

TODAY at 12:00pm AEST! Alternative Protein Rich Ingredients for Sustainable Poultry Production 🐔 Join A/Prof Elham Assadi Soumeh as she explores innovative protein-rich ingredients that could help reduce reliance on imports while supporting resilient poultry production. 🔗 bit.ly/4mkn8s0

It's World Banana Day and who better to talk about production, genetics, and pests and diseases in banana than #UQ's Prof Andre Drenth, a co-editor of three definitive texts on the fruit. https://bit.ly/4mDjFow

A simple tail hair test is unlocking big gains for northern beef. 🐮 A/Prof Luis Prada e Silva and his team have found nitrogen use efficiency is linked to heavier calves, lower losses and improved productivity, and it’s heritable. A game changer for profitability and sustainability. bit.ly/4teT9V2

New taro variety offers the 'best of both worlds' in a changing climate. Research from #UQ, ACIAR and the PNG University of Technology into climate-resilient taro hybrids. https://bit.ly/4bZJUSh

Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator has launched the MakerSpace 🍴💡 Led by Prof Nidhi Bansal, the UQ facility provides industry partners with access to advanced, food-grade prototyping capabilities, accelerating innovation from concept through to commercialisation. 👉 bit.ly/3PUCjvM

📣 QAAFI Science Seminar: Alternative Protein-Rich Ingredients for Sustainable Poultry Production Featuring A/Prof Elham Assadi Soumeh, Discover how innovative feed solutions could support a more sustainable poultry industry. 📅 21 April, 12:00pm AEST 🔗bit.ly/4mkn8s0

New QAAFI PhD: Forecasting extreme animal population events - Modelling house mouse plagues in the Australian grainbelt 🐭 Based at St Lucia, this project focuses on developing models to forecast and manage mouse outbreaks across Australia’s grain-growing regions. Apply now 👉 bit.ly/47wpEVK

DNA testing solves a hornless cattle mystery. A rare variant has been uncovered by advanced long-read sequencing technology, which means a more accurate genetic test is needed. https://bit.ly/4tiQ71t

🥚 Could cheaper chicken and eggs really start with a new type of sorghum? Prof Ian Godwin and his team have spent the past decade working to increase the grain’s protein content, leading to a breakthrough: a new sorghum variety with more protein compared to Australian varieties.👉 ab.co/4bUHfb7

Unlocking designed roots for future cereal crops. Research from #UQ and #ANU looks to create "steep, deep and cheap" root architecture, to allow better access to water and nutrients without yield penalties. https://bit.ly/4bRdGay

In a time of rapidly rising oil prices, a one pot process to convert sugarcane waste to jet fuel shows the potential of biofuel. And this method of turning bagasse into ethanol takes sustainability and cost to new levels. https://bit.ly/3Nw1hAS

💡Applications for the 2026 Winter Research Program are now open. Don't miss your opportunity to team up with UQ's leading researchers to apply your degree-specific knowledge and develop valuable research and professional capabilities. Apply now 👉 bit.ly/41y1xlW Find QAAFI Projects 👉 bit.ly/4eE91IU

Plant science, but make it predictive 🌱 Today’s seminar with Prof Christine Beveridge explores how insights into plant growth and signalling are being turned into powerful tools for agriculture. 🕛 12pm AEST, 24 Mar 2025 🔗uqz.zoom.us/j/82713370773

Rapid testing to tackle chemical resistance in Australian cattle ticks. UQ's Dr Hannah Siddle is seeking help from producers to help gain an understanding of resistance. https://bit.ly/47Iwnf9

How can plant development research help predict crop performance? 🌱 Join Prof Christine Beveridge as she explores how discoveries in shoot branching and plant signalling are being translated into predictive tools for agriculture. 📍24 Mar, 12-1pm AEST 🔗 bit.ly/4b6s67I

Breeding for bigger cattle may come with hidden fertility trade-offs. Research from Mehrnush Forutan published in Genetics Selection Evolution, offering producers more information and opportunities. bit.ly/4uq03rw

Join PhD Xianyi Liu TODAY for his QAAFI Science Seminar on "Optimizing feed digestibility in pigs through exogenous enzyme supplementation" 🐖 📍 12:00pm AEST 🔗 bit.ly/4rsssu9

Breeding for bigger cattle may come with hidden fertility trade-offs. Research published in Genetics Selection Evolution offering producers more information and opportunities. https://bit.ly/4uq03rw

Join us this coming Tuesday for a QAAFI Science Seminar on optimising feed digestibility in pigs presented by Xianyi Liu 🐖 🔗 qaafi.uq.edu.au/event/session/15659 📍 10 March, 12:00pm AEST

Congratulations to UQ PhD candidate Jacob Birch, one of two recipients of the Australian Academy of Science's 2026 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Science Award. https://bit.ly/4aZZRpT https://vimeo.com/1162061356/de9bbb05be?fl=pl&fe=sh

If you’re driven by research with real-world impact across ag, food and community, explore these opportunities at QAAFI: 🔬 Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Flavour Chemistry: bit.ly/3ZTgFK7 🌾 Senior Research Fellow – Crop Genomics: bit.ly/4aB1onk 🤝 Senior Manager, Indigenous Engagement: bit.ly/46UWvDi

Join us today at 12:00pm AEST. 🐂 🔗uqz.zoom.us/j/81444254222 QAAFI Science Seminar: Understanding Nitrogen Efficiency in Beef Cattle: Insights from Seven Years of Research with A/Prof Luis Prada e Silva.

A fantastic start for UQ ARSA at O-Week Market Day at St Lucia. 🎉 With 40+ new members signing up, the stall was buzzing with energy. 📍Based at Gatton Campus? Drop by the UQ ARSA stall next week on 24 Feb from 4-6pm to learn more about how the association supports students across ag and food.

UQ research has revealed that double-stranded RNA-based biopesticides (dsRNA) sprayed on plant leaves can travel into root systems. The work also disproves a long-standing misconception that dsRNA directly enters plant cells. https://bit.ly/4cyOqYs

Join us for next week's Seminar: Understanding Nitrogen Efficiency in Beef Cattle: Insights from Seven Years of Research with A/Prof Luis Prada e Silva. 🐂 🔗 bit.ly/46i4wSk 🕛 24 Feb, 12:00pm AEST

Igniting the future of agricultural with exciting research at #UQ. Congratulations to Dr Maral Seididamyeh and Dr Chian Teng Ong for their Australian Economic Accelerator Ignite Round 2 grants. https://bit.ly/4kMcFEU

What could Indigenous-led innovation look like in ag and food research? 💡QAAFI is inviting a passionate and visionary leader to help shape that future. Applications close 1 March. 👉 bit.ly/4aOphrt

Testing confirms chemical-free future for fighting flystrike. The next step is field trials with industry support. https://bit.ly/46MNdZU

On International Day of Women and Girls in Science we celebrate the outstanding women across QAAFI, in crop, horticulture, animal and food and nutrition science. We also acknowledge those women working behind the scenes. The research done here is shaping the future of agriculture.

Unlocking the sublime in native citrus. A detailed look at PhD candidate Joel Johnson's work on native live species in Australia, published in the latest edition of Hort Journal. You can read all about it via the link below: https://hortjournal.com.au/

Good enough to eat: how gene edited crops and animals contribute to food security and sustainability🌱 In this engaging Bendelow Lecture, QAAFI’s Prof Ian Godwin explores the role of gene editing in shaping the future of agriculture. 🔗 bit.ly/4bIver4

Congrats to Dr Jiahua Shi and BiomeCentric on securing a National Industry PhD Program award. The project will transform Australian avocado food waste into novel cosmeceutical ingredients, strengthening Australia’s circular bioeconomy. As part of the collab, David Xiao will commence his PhD at UQ. 🌱

📢 New opportunity | Senior Manager, Indigenous Engagement (Identified s25) QAAFI is seeking a visionary leader to drive Indigenous engagement across our Institute. bit.ly/3O2ZHpO

Emeritus Prof Robert Henry joined Queensland Country Hour to discuss why sugarcane could be the key to sustainable aviation fuel ✈️🌱 He talks through what makes sugarcane so productive and scalable, and how genetics could boost how much can be converted into fuel. 🎧 Listen from 17:14: ab.co/4bxtDEu

🐄 QAAFI Science Seminar: Understanding Nitrogen Efficiency in Beef Cattle: Insights from Seven Years of Research. Discover from A/Prof Luis Prada e Silva how years of research is reshaping our understanding of nitrogen efficiency in northern beef systems. 24 Feb 2026 | 12:00pm 🔗bit.ly/46i4wSk

Genetically modified purple tomatoes have been given the tick of approval in Australia. #UQ's Prof Ian Godwin says genetically modified foods can offer a range of benefits for the farmer and consumer. https://ab.co/4k4bhwZ

Congratulations to QAAFI's Dr Maral Seididamyeh and Dr Chian Teng Ong for securing Ignite Round 2 grants from Australia’s Economic Accelerator. https://bit.ly/4be7laA