Meet our Speakers
Dr Judith Burstin
Director of research at UMR Agroecology of INRA Dijon
Dr Judith Burstin is Director of research at UMR Agroecology of INRA Dijon. With a background in agronomy, quantitative genetics and breeding, she has acquired competencies in genomics and post-genomics methodologies. Her research focuses on plant adaptation in pea and aims at deciphering the control of seed yield and quality in the context of low-input farming systems and climate change. She leads a group of 30 people and authored or co-authored more than 50 papers in peer-reviewed international journals. She has been coordinating several large projects such as the International Pea Genome Sequencing Consortium and the multi-disciplinary Investment for the Future project PEAMUST.
Prof Pablo J. Zarco-Tejada
Professor at The University of Melbourne
Prof. Pablo J. Zarco-Tejada is jointly appointed between the School of Agriculture and the Melbourne School of Engineering, University of Melbourne. Leader of the HyperSens Laboratory, he is primarily focusing on remote sensing, precision agriculture and vegetation stress detection using hyperspectral and thermal images acquired by manned and unmanned aircraft systems. He was awarded a degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Córdoba, Spain, MSc in Remote Sensing from the University of Dundee, UK, and a PhD in Earth and Space Science from York University, Canada.
Prof Anthony J Saliba
Professor, Charles Sturt University
Doctor Anthony Saliba is Professor of Perceptual Psychology in the School of Psychology at Charles Sturt University. Academically, Professor Saliba has published over 100 peer reviewed papers, has been awarded almost $4mil in category one funding and managed well over $10mil in projects spanning two decades. In 2013 he was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s award for research excellence. His research has been used by British Aerospace to design aircraft interfaces and by food companies to produce healthier and more liked products. His discovery that personality type is predictive of flavour preference was featured on the NBC Today program, The Telegraph of India and other media reaching well over 10 million people.
Nevin Rosaasen
Chair of the Board of Directors at Biological Carbon Canada
Nevin has dust, diesel and carbon in his veins and passionately describes himself as a 4th generation food and fibre production engineer. Nevin holds a B.Sc of the U.of Saskatchewan majoring in Agronomy and Agricultural Economics and a Graduate degree in International Trade policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, California. Having worked at the provincial, national and international level in various capacities, Nevin also published with UN ECLAC in the field of Carbon Accounting and Life Cycle Analysis. Nevin is with Alberta Pulse Growers as the Policy and Program Specialist and grows pulses, uses technology, agronomy and economics everyday with his family on a century farm.
Phil McFarlane
Founder and Director, Australian Plant Proteins
Born and raised in the Victorian Wimmera-Mallee wheat belt region where his family’s 3rd generation grain and sheep farm still operates today, Phil has an unwavering passion to make a significant contribution to the future of the Australian agriculture industry.
After an extensive career in the corporate world namely in the Financial services sector, Phil became a co-founder of EAT Group, an agriculture investment management company that aims to develop Australian vertically integrated agriculture businesses (farm gate to plate) for both domestic and export market purposes.
Following on from developing businesses in infant formula and premium red meat, EAT Group are the founders of ‘Australian Plant Proteins’, a company that manufacturers high grade protein powder from Australian pulses. The company is currently building Australia’s first plant based protein manufacturing facility in Horsham.
He has a Bachelor of Business (Accounting), and is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA).