DoctorJules Freeman

Project Total: $9,683,148; This project will use genetics, remote sensing and artificial intelligence to develop new ways of phenotyping forest trees, with high precision at unprecedented scales. These approaches will be applied to better understand how different genetic material performs in different environments, allowing us to better face the huge uncertainties in establishing and management of future forests in the face of climate change. This project will be lead from Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Ltd.). UTAS will collaborate on part of the project utilising Prof Brodribb's expertise in directly phenotyping drought stress, and Dr Freeman's experience in forest genetics, to ground truth remote sensing data. Funded by: Research Trust of Victoria University of Wellington - MBIE Endeavour Fund- Research Programmes; University of Melbourne; University of Sydney; Scion New Zealand Forest Research Institute Limited; Radiata Pine Breeding Co Ltd; Lake Taupo Forest Management Ltd; Trier University; University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $784,773; Genomics of radiata pine - working with Scion on a project associated with forest industry partners, Radiata Pine Breeding Co Ltd (RPBC) and others, to develop and use genomic resources for fundamental and applied outcomes, including state-of-the-art linkage maps and a genome assembly. Funded by: Bioeconomy Science Institute ($118,664); Scion New Zealand Forest Research Institute Limited ($666,109); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $12,750; This project will model the impacts of forestry management practices on the composition and succession of soil microbial communities, and investigate their links with regenerating plant communities. The soil microbiome and plant community will be sampled across a logging and burning severity gradient at four points in time. By extracting soil DNA and sequencing the 16SrRNA and ITS regions, the biodiversity of the bacterial and fungal communities can be characterised. This project will focus on important taxa involved in symbiotic and pathogenic relationships with plants, and free-living taxa that are responsible for the availability of essential plant nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous. Funded by: Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment - Grant ($12,750); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $415,000; Funded by: Australian Research Council - Grant-Linkage Projects Round 1 ($295,000); Tree Breeding Australia Limited ($120,000); University of Tasmania ($118,824).

Project Total: $20,000; Myrtle rust has recently entered Australia, posing a serious threat to our (myrtaceous) flora including major species from the genera Eucalptus and Corymbia. There is an urgent need to understand how tolerant our vegetation is to the disease in order to better predict its economic and environmental effects. Using quantitative genetic approaches, we aim to elucidate the genetic basis of tolerance in Eucalyptus and Corymbia and compare it with tolerance to native pathogens. This one year project will produce publications and build collaborative links, providing the foundation for further research in comparative genetics/genomics. Funded by: University of the Sunshine Coast - Grant-USC Research Futures Project Seed Funding ($20,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $5,450,000; The USC Research Futures Project is an integrated package of initiatives that will drive increased quantity and quality in USC's research effort. It has two key elements: 1. Realising collaboration with strategic research partners. 2. Increasing USC's internal research collaboration capacity. The research partners were strategically selected for their leadership in research areas aligned with USC's strengths (water, sustainability, forests, aquaculture), research development strategies and their track record for successful collaboration. These partners are: * Griffith University, including the University of Queensland via the Australian Water and Environmental Research Alliance. * University of Tasmania. * Queensland University of Technology. Funded by: Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources - Grant-Collaborative Research Networks; University of the Sunshine Coast; University of Tasmania ($240,000).

Project Total: $5,000; Funded by: University of Tasmania - Grant-Research Enhancement (REGS); University of Tasmania ($5,000).