Furbank Group – Improving photosynthesis and crop yield
Our research focuses on the identification of enhanced photosynthetic properties in crop and model plant germplasm, and improving C4 photosynthesis.
About
Research in the Furbank Group focuses on the identification of enhanced photosynthetic properties in crop and model plant germplasm and improving C4 photosynthesis. In rice, the Group is using molecular techniques to install a CO2 concentrating mechanism as part of the IRRI led Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-supported C4 Rice Consortium. In wheat, the Group works closely with the Grains Research and Development Corporation to identify genetic variation in photosynthetic performance and develop new tools for high throughput measurement of photosynthesis.
Awards
- Corresponding Member of The American Society of Plant Biology., 2019
- Thomas Davies Research Grant for Marine, Soil and Plant Biology, 2016
- Runner-up RSB Student Conference Award, 2016
- Honorary Doctoral Degree, 2016
- CSIRO Plant Industry Leadership Award, 2014
- ACT ICT Innovation Award, 2013
- Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship, 1987
Projects
Members
Group Leader
Postdoctoral Fellow
Technical Officer
Technical Assistant
PhD Student
Honorary Senior Lecturer
News
Increasing food production is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. The Australian Academy of Science has produced a video featuring researchers who are from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis and the ANU Research School of Biology.
Research that could transform global rice production by increasing yields from the world’s number one food crop has been boosted by five more years of funding.
Human error, not human biology, largely accounts for the apparent decline of mortality among the very old, according to a new report by Saul Newman of the Research School of Biology, ANU. The result casts doubt on the hypothesis that human longevity can be greatly extended beyond current limits.