I was born in Canberra but moved up to Brisbane when I was quite young. When I finished high school, I decided to return to Canberra to capitalise on the tertiary education opportunities and be closer to my family here. I have really enjoyed my time studying in Canberra and hope to start my honours in late 2024.
I am passionate about the potential applications of biotechnology to shape sustainable agriculture. When I finish my undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Biotechnology and Science, majoring in Agricultural Innovation and Mathematics), I hope to either pursue a PhD focused on crop resilience or fortification, or enter the workforce with a focus on either biosecurity or research and development with applications in Agriculture.
Being awarded the Horizon Scholarship means an enormous amount to me as I feel it validates a lot of hard work I have put into my undergraduate studies. I am really excited about utilising the scholarship to further extend my experiences and capabilities by working closely with industry and other Scholars in completely different environments than I am used to.
Rice Australia’s focus on optimizing genetics through plant breeding is particularly interesting to me. As I lack experience in plant breeding, I hope to use my industry work placements to better understand the space. I am also really looking forward to getting out into the field and better understanding how agricultural rice systems function effectively.