Growing our future: STEM careers inspiring the next generation
This webinar for students and teachers explores the incredible ways modern biology and plant science are helping build a more sustainable future.
Growing our future — STEM careers inspiring the next generation
As part of National Science Week 2026, Seeds of Science: Nurturing knowledge for all
Join us for a special Shape Your Future webinar celebrating National Science Week 2026, exploring the incredible ways modern biology and plant science are helping build a more sustainable future. From engineering plants that produce valuable products to developing new biological manufacturing processes, Australia's scientists and innovators are transforming the way we grow food, create materials and tackle global challenges.
With a panel of leading STEM professionals working in areas such as biomanufacturing, plant synthetic biology and biotechnology, this webinar will showcase the creative ways that technology and science are supporting a future sustainable world.
What attendees will learn
How to grow solutions through science
Discover how advances in plant science, synthetic biology and biomanufacturing are helping address challenges in agriculture, healthcare, renewable materials and environmental sustainability.
What careers are shaping our tomorrows
Hear from experts about their career journeys, diverse pathways into emerging STEM fields, and the skills needed to thrive in tomorrow's workforce.
Upcoming innovations for a sustainable future
Explore how biology, engineering and technology come together to develop real-world solutions that improve lives, strengthen industries and support a more sustainable planet.
Why students and educators should attend
Whether you're a student curious about where science could take you, an educator looking to connect classroom learning with cutting-edge STEM careers, or you’re simply interested in the future of innovation, this webinar offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from experts working at the forefront of Australian science.
You'll leave with a greater understanding of how emerging fields such as plant synthetic biology and biomanufacturing are creating exciting new career opportunities, discover how interdisciplinary STEM skills are driving innovation, and be inspired by the scientists helping grow Australia's future.
Speakers
Professor Ian O’Hara
FTSE
ATSE Fellow | Executive Dean, Faculty of Engineering at Queensland University of Technology
ATSE Fellow | Executive Dean, Faculty of Engineering at Queensland University of Technology
Professor Ian O’Hara is building innovation into the bioeconomy, pushing new boundaries in sustainable aviation fuels and biomanufacturing for regional economic development.
As Queensland’s Biofutures Industry Envoy, he has facilitated international partnerships, attracted significant investment and informed policy frameworks, including the Queensland Government Biofutures Roadmap. As Deputy Dean of Engineering at the Queensland University of Technology, O’Hara champions the industrial translation of research, with a strong focus on sustainability. He established the Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant, Australia’s premier open-access R&D facility for advancing industrial biomanufacturing and precision fermentation scale-up.
A recipient of the Engineers Australia 2024 Chemical Engineer Achievement Award for his impact in progressing biofuels and biotechnology, O’Hara continues to shape global bioeconomy progress as a member of strategic international forums.
As Queensland’s Biofutures Industry Envoy, he has facilitated international partnerships, attracted significant investment and informed policy frameworks, including the Queensland Government Biofutures Roadmap. As Deputy Dean of Engineering at the Queensland University of Technology, O’Hara champions the industrial translation of research, with a strong focus on sustainability. He established the Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant, Australia’s premier open-access R&D facility for advancing industrial biomanufacturing and precision fermentation scale-up.
A recipient of the Engineers Australia 2024 Chemical Engineer Achievement Award for his impact in progressing biofuels and biotechnology, O’Hara continues to shape global bioeconomy progress as a member of strategic international forums.
Professor Jenny Mortimer
Professor of Plant Synthetic Biology in the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine | Adelaide University (AU)
Professor of Plant Synthetic Biology in the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine | Adelaide University (AU)
Jenny Mortimer is Professor of Plant Synthetic Biology in the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine at Adelaide University (AU), where she is also Deputy Director of the AU Waite Research Institute. She holds an Affiliate Staff Scientist position at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA. Her team's research centres on understanding and manipulating plant cell metabolism, particularly complex glycosylation and the cell wall, to develop the tools, knowledge and crops that underpin a sustainable bioeconomy.
She holds several senior roles in research consortia, including as Chief Investigator and AU node lead for the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space (P4S). P4S is an interdisciplinary, seven-year centre developing plants to support long-distance space exploration, alongside closed-environment agriculture and synthetic biology driven biomanufacturing on Earth.
Her team also collaborates on a UK Space Agency/ASA-funded project to develop an autonomous plant growth facility for Axiom Station, an NSF-funded project to develop on-station plant-based biomanufacturing (EPiC), and a NASA-funded project (LEAF, Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora), an Artemis-deployed instrument that will germinate and grow plants on the lunar surface and return samples to Earth for analysis, including in her lab here in Adelaide.
She holds several senior roles in research consortia, including as Chief Investigator and AU node lead for the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space (P4S). P4S is an interdisciplinary, seven-year centre developing plants to support long-distance space exploration, alongside closed-environment agriculture and synthetic biology driven biomanufacturing on Earth.
Her team also collaborates on a UK Space Agency/ASA-funded project to develop an autonomous plant growth facility for Axiom Station, an NSF-funded project to develop on-station plant-based biomanufacturing (EPiC), and a NASA-funded project (LEAF, Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora), an Artemis-deployed instrument that will germinate and grow plants on the lunar surface and return samples to Earth for analysis, including in her lab here in Adelaide.
This webinar is part of the Shape Your Future series, an educational initiative from the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) that connects students with leading experts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through live virtual events.
