Twelve emerging grape and wine researchers from five Australian universities have received Wine Australia’s PhD and Masters by Research Scholarships for 2020.
Wine Australia General Manager Research, Development and Extension Dr Liz Waters said this year’s scholarship recipients had presented an outstanding array of projects across the grape and wine production chain.
‘We are delighted that they are joining a broader community of dedicated researchers who are committed to driving innovation for Australia’s grape and wine community’, said Dr Waters.
Joseph Marks from the University of Adelaide is the inaugural recipient of the Dr Tony Jordan OAM Award, which recognises the most outstanding applicant among a field of exciting and high-calibre candidates.
Mr Marks will be investigating how under-vine cover crops affect arbuscular mycorrhizal associations (the symbiotic relationship between plant roots and fungi that allow plants to capture nutrients), soil organic carbon composition and soil carbon stocks.
Dr Waters said Mr Mark’s award honoured Dr Jordan’s memory and his contribution to grape and wine science.
‘Dr Jordan was an ardent supporter of academic endeavour and encouraged excellence across the Australian grape and wine community. We’re delighted to announce that Mr Marks’ project is the recipient of the Award and that he will investigate a developing area of research that aims to support increasing the environmental sustainability of vineyards across Australia’, said Dr Waters said.
Mr Marks is an ecologist with a passion for wine and landscapes.
‘I am extremely humbled to be presented with the inaugural Dr Tony Jordan OAM Award from Wine Australia and I will endeavour to honour Dr Jordan’s passion for research and innovation within the Australian wine sector’, Mr Marks said.
‘The notion of terroir is one that encapsulates so many ecological theories, from biotic systems to abiotic systems and the specific interplay of variables that make each one unique. Underpinning these systems is the soil substrate and it is here that I wish to focus my research, understanding how a reversion to natural land management through under-vine cover-cropping can affect the soil, grapevine and vineyard ecosystem.’
The recipients of Wine Australia’s scholarships for 2020 are:
Recipient | Project title |
Joseph Marks Dr Tony Jordan OAM Award recipient | Sustaining viticulture: How under-vine (sp. Vitis vinifera) cover crops affect arbuscular mycorrhizal associations, soil organic carbon composition and soil carbon stocks |
Billy Xynas | Wine production in a changing Australian climate: water addition to musts and the effects on phenolic, chemical and sensory attributes |
Chethana Shekharappa | The role of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) in cell death in grape berry development |
Christopher Caboche | Analysis of the wine glycoproteome and proteome to improve quality and track provenance |
Hugh Holds | From brandewijn (burnt wine) to bush fires: new directions in Australian Brandy production |
Kamalpreet Kaur | The molecular epidemiology and control of grapevine Pinot Gris virus in Australian viticulture |
Merek Kesser | A regional study of the effects of vineyard floor management on soil health, biodiversity and terroir expression |
Natalja Ivanova | Understanding the sensory perception of ‘body’ in beer and wine |
Pippa French | Science to inform decision making between synthetic and alternative nitrogen sources in vineyards |
Ruchira Ranaweera | Chemical markers for authentication of Australian wine |
Xiaoyi Wang | Molecular genetic control of grapevine bud fruitfulness |
Yihe Sui | Use of membrane filtration technology to achieve protein stability in white wine |
The scholarship recipients are undertaking their studies at The University of Adelaide, La Trobe University, The University of Melbourne, the University of Queensland and the University of Tasmania.
Wine Australia’s PhD and Masters by Research scholarships are awarded annually and aim to support and attract postgraduate students to the fields of wine, viticulture and wine business research.
