Joanne grew up in Armidale in northern NSW, before moving to Melbourne, VIC, to complete an undergraduate degree in Science (Hons) at Monash University. In her PhD at La Trobe University, she investigated the expression and processing of storage proteins in seeds of the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. 

Following her PhD, Joanne spent 6 years as a Postdoc and Research Associate at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, with the Global Institute for Food Security. There, Joanne first studied plant reproductive biology and the molecular control of apomixis, a naturally occuring phenomenon whereby plants reproduce clonally through seeds. In 2019, Joanne received a Ministry of Saskatchewan Agricultural Development Fund grant to improve germination traits in canola and soybean to enabled early spring sowing into cold soils, which improves stand establishment and yield.

Joanne joined SAEVS as a Lecturer in plant science in 2022. Her current research interests include the genomics and proteomics of plant evolution, responses to abiotic stress, and plant reproduction and seed traits.

Joanne’s research focuses on plant systems biology, and the interactions between plant genetics, environment, and phenotype. In 2020, she was awarded a $900k grant from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture to engineer improved germination and seedling establishment traits in canola and soybean. In 2023, Joanne was awarded the CSU Tri-Faculty Early Career Researcher Grant to uncover the genetic components underlying the phenomenon of “de-vernalisation” in a panel of wheat lines.

Joanne is currently developing a research program at CSU, and is actively seeking research opportunities and partnerships. Her research interests include:

• Physiology, proteomics and genetics of seed germination and abiotic stress
• Improving plant protein quality for human and animal nutrition
• Plant reproduction, meiosis, and megaspore development
• Cannabis evolution, genetics, and proteomics