Parwinder Kaur | |
---|---|
Alma mater | University of Western Australia |
Employer | University of Western Australia |
Known for | Biodiversity and science |
Title | Associate Professor |
Scientific career | |
Thesis | Pathogenic behaviour of Albungo candida on Brassica juncea and mechanisms of host resistance (2010) |
Parwinder Kaur is an Indian-born biotechnologist who is Director of the DNA Zoo Australia, and associate professor at the University of Western Australia. Her research involves genomic techniques to help conservation efforts for threatened and endangered species. [1] [2] On International Women's Day in 2023, Kaur was inducted into the WA Women's Hall of Fame.
Kaur spent her early life in Nawanshahr, Punjab. She received a PhD from the University of Western Australia in 2010 for her thesis, "Pathogenic behaviour of Albungo candida on Brassica juncea and mechanisms of host resistance". [3]
"From a young age, my biggest challenge was convincing family and community that female education and pursuing a career is of value, and a better investment than the traditional route of dowry and marriage. Having a natural thirst for knowledge it was a battle to overcome rigid cultural norms and carve a course allowing me to attend university."
"Just perfect timing to win a PhD scholarship as the way to “Escape marriage”, and come to Australia to pursue my passion.
I always wanted a career that is evolving and exciting every morning I go to work and here I am following a hobby to discover new secrets of life through the lens of DNA – the blueprint of life! [4]
Kaur is a biotechnologist who has spent more than a decade researching genomic methodologies, including cross-disciplinary biodiversity genomic research, as well as conservation biology and genomics. [5] Her research aims to use genomic technologies to investigate biodiversity and natural environments, with the goal of working towards sustainable futures. Her research has also used AI, in biodiversity and genomic innovation. [6]
Kaur is an entrepreneur, in the biotechnology sector, with a company called Ex Planta Pty Ltd combining technology with bio-engineering solutions. She is also an ambassador for GirlsXTech, and a Women in Technology WA Role Model.
Kaur was appointed to be on a Diversity in STEM expert panel, within the office of MP Ed Husic, the Minister for Industry and Science, Australia. [6]
Kaur has been in the media for her work increasing the participation of women and boosting diversity in Science Technology Engineering and Maths. [7] Her work in biotechnology and recognition for her contributions to science and diversity in the WA Women's Hall of Fame, during International Women's Day was reported in SBS Media. [5]
Kaur has also written for The Conversation, on Avian Flu, and migrating birds bringing avian flu to Australian birds. [8] She argued that preparation including understanding ways of detecting and tracking outbreaks of viruses in wildlife, is necessary to protect against viral outbreaks crossing from wildlife to humans. [8]
Kaur had 1358 citations and an H number of 21 as at October 2023. Select examples of her publications include the following:
Clover, also called trefoil, are plants of the genus Trifolium, consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with highest diversity in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes on mountains in the tropics. They are small annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial herbaceous plants, typically growing up to 30 centimetres (12 in) tall. The leaves are trifoliate, with stipules adnate to the leaf-stalk, and heads or dense spikes of small red, purple, white, or yellow flowers; the small, few-seeded pods are enclosed in the calyx. Other closely related genera often called clovers include Melilotus and Medicago.
Sorghum or broomcorn is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption, in pastures for animals as fodder, and as bristles for brooms. Sorghum grain is a nutritious food rich in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, and minerals.
Avian influenza, also known as avian flu, is a bird flu caused by the influenza A virus, which can infect people. It is similar to other types of animal flu in that it is caused by a virus strain that has adapted to a specific host. The type with the greatest risk is highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
Trifolium repens, the white clover, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the bean family Fabaceae. It is native to Europe, including the British Isles, and central Asia and is one of the most widely cultivated types of clover. It has been widely introduced worldwide as a forage crop, and is now also common in most grassy areas of North America, Australia and New Zealand. The species includes varieties often classed as small, intermediate and large, according to height, which reflects petiole length. The term 'white clover' is applied to the species in general, 'Dutch clover' is often applied to intermediate varieties, and 'ladino clover' is applied to large varieties.
Fodder, also called provender, is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food given to the animals, rather than that which they forage for themselves. Fodder includes hay, straw, silage, compressed and pelleted feeds, oils and mixed rations, and sprouted grains and legumes. Most animal feed is from plants, but some manufacturers add ingredients to processed feeds that are of animal origin.
The four-leaf clover is a rare variation of the common three-leaf clover. According to traditional sayings, such clovers bring good luck, though it is not clear when or how this idea began. One early mention of "Fower-leafed or purple grasse" is from 1640 and simply says that it was kept in gardens because it was "good for the purples in children or others".
Trifolium pratense, red clover, is a herbaceous species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalized in many other regions.
Trifolium subterraneum, the subterranean clover, subterranean trefoil, is a species of clover native to Europe, Southwest Asia, Northwest Africa and Macaronesia. The plant's name comes from its underground seed development (geocarpy), a characteristic not possessed by other clovers.
Melilotus, known as melilot, sweet clover, and kumoniga, is a genus in the family Fabaceae. Members are known as common grassland plants and as weeds of cultivated ground. Originally from Europe and Asia, it is now found worldwide.
Medicago lupulina, commonly known as black medick, nonesuch, or hop clover, is a plant of dry grassland belonging to the legume or clover family. Plants of the genus Medicago, or bur clovers, are closely related to the true clovers (Trifolium) and sweet clover (Melilotus). Like the true clovers, black medick has three leaflets and a small, yellow flower closely resembling those of lesser trefoil. Black medick belongs to the same genus as alfalfa.
GISAID, the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data, previously the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data, is a global science initiative established in 2008 to provide access to genomic data of influenza viruses. The database was expanded to include the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other pathogens. The database has been described as "the world's largest repository of COVID-19 sequences". GISAID facilitates genomic epidemiology and real-time surveillance to monitor the emergence of new COVID-19 viral strains across the planet.
Michael Specter is an American journalist who has been a staff writer, focusing on science, technology, and global public health at The New Yorker since September 1998. He has also written for The Washington Post and The New York Times. Since 2021 he has also taught writing and, along with a colleague, a course called “Safeguarding the Future” at MIT. He has previously served as an Adjunct Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University, and a Visiting Professor of Environmental and Urban Studies at Bard College.
The Prime Minister's Prizes for Science are annual Australian awards for outstanding achievements in scientific research, innovation, and teaching. The prizes have been awarded since 2000, when they replaced the Australia Prize for science.
Rajeev Kumar Varshney is an Indian agricultural scientist, specializing in genomics, genetics, molecular breeding and capacity building in developing countries. Varshney is currently serving as Director, Western Australian State Agricultural Biotechnology Center; Director, Centre for Crop & Food Innovation; and International Chair in Agriculture & Food Security with the Food Futures Institute at Murdoch University, Australia since Feb 2022. Before joining Murdoch University, Australia he served International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), a global agriculture R&D institute, for more than 16 years in different scientific and research leadership roles including Research Program Director for three global research programs– Grain Legumes, Genetic Gains and Accelerated Crop Improvement Program. He has the onus of establishing and nurturing the Center of Excellence in Genomics & Systems Biology (CEGSB), a globally recognized center for genomics research at ICRISAT that made impacts on improving agriculture and development of human resources in several countries including India, China, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, etc. Varshney holds Adjunct/Honorary/Visiting Professor positions at 10 academic institutions in Australia, China, Ghana, Hong Kong and India, including The University of Western Australia, University of Queensland, West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement, University of Hyderabad, Chaudhary Charan Singh University and Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University.
Dr Sze Peng Flett is a Principal Scientist and the interim Director for the Horticulture Centre of Excellence in the Victoria Department of Environment and Primary Industries.
Professor Lynda (Lyn) Dent Beazley is a neuroscientist and educator based in Perth, Western Australia. She is currently an Honorary Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Western Australia, and the Sir Walter Murdoch Distinguished Professor of Science at Murdoch University. Among other awards, she has been named an Officer of the Order of Australia for her contributions to medical science a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.
Yvonne Aitken was an Australian agricultural scientist whose contributions to the field included studies of plant flowering as it depends on climate, season, and genetic factors. She was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989.
Trilochan Mohapatra is an Indian biotechnologist, geneticist, former government secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and former director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Known for his studies in the fields of molecular genetics and genomics, Mohapatra is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Indian National Science Academy and the Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences in 2003.
Amos William Howard pioneered the introduction of subterranean clover as a fodder plant in Australia.
Charmaine Papertalk Green is an Indigenous Australian poet. As Charmaine Green she works as a visual and installation artist.