In this episode we meet Dr. Roshan Khadka, who is working on a new way to power wearable health devices. Roshan's science journey started in his hometown of Kathmandu, Nepal before a PhD funded by Plant & Food Research led him to the University of Auckland in 2015. His work on sensor development contributed to the success of Plant & Food Research spin-out company, ScentianBio. Now, five years on Roshan is aiming to make waves in his new research space and also finding ways to celebrate and honour his home country and the special ties it shares with New Zealand.

In this Scigest episode we speak to Plant & Food Research’s new chief executive, Mark Piper. Mark joined the organisation three months ago after a 30 year stint at Fonterra, where he held leadership roles locally and in the US and Japan. Mark shares a bit about his background, his journey into science leadership as well as his first impressions of Plant & Food Research and his aspirations for the company. For more information and podcasts see our Scigest page on: www.plantandfood.com/scigest

In this podcast episode we meet Julie Bloomaert, a Post-doctoral Scientist at Plant & Food Research. Julie works in the Seafood Production group - with a background in biology and genetics she's aiming to improve snapper for aquaculture by understanding and utilizing their genetic traits. Julie's scientific curiosity was partly sparked by a field trip organised by one of her high school teachers and it led her to pursue a PhD in evolutionary biology in Austria. Having lived in many different countries, Julie embraces new experiences and will soon be joining the Scigest team as a new Scigest podcaster.

A journey into a science career can be fraught with many challenges along the way. Today we speak to Luna Hasna about her inspiring and multi hurdled journey - from a young girl in Bangladesh with a passion for science, to getting married and moving to Aotearoa New Zealand and how owning and running a kebab shop in Auckland eventually led to her dream career, working in the plant pathogens department at Plant & Food Research. To see some of Luna’s artwork see her Instagram feed: @lunascollection_45. For further Scigest podcasts please see our Scigest pages at www.plantandfood.com/scigest.

Early Career Researchers (ECRs) struggle to fund their research. With very few funding opportunities within New Zealand and high competition for them, most ECRs feel unprepared and uninformed about how and where to find funding at this critical stage of their careers. This episode aims to highlight funding opportunities in Aotearoa, with a specific focus on Rutherford fellowships and Marsden funds, and includes tips and tricks on how to be successful – tailored to ECRs. Links to ECR funding sites can be found on this podcasts page on our Scigest site: www.plantandfood.com/scigest.

Indoor farming might be part of the solution to the global food security crisis, but how ready are we for this change in the way we produce fruit and vegetables? Scigest host Rebecca Bloomer sits down with Samantha Baldwin to chat about the highs and lows of indoor and vertical farming, what challenges this ‘new’ type of farming still faces, and what New Zealand is doing in this space.

Plant Pathologist Dr Bob Fullerton has improved horticulture and changed lives in developing countries for nearly 50 years.

Bob sat down with Scigest while he was back in Aotearoa New Zealand to discuss his extensive and rewarding career. He talks about how his experience of growing up on a Queensland pineapple farm led him into international development work and how science can create opportunities to reduce poverty and improve lives.

Links to learn more about the Dragon Fruit Network https://dfnet.fftc.org.tw/Page/Home.aspx?v=1382263207 or to watch an episode of Shamba Shape Up on avocados and Phytophthora root rot disease https://youtu.be/kWy4ezP2qzA.

www.plantandfood.com/scigest

Imagine this – you have two hours to prove to a room of experts that your PhD research was good enough to land you a doctorate. Daunting, right? In this episode, Dr Yongyan Peng (Angel) joins ex-PhD students and newly minted Drs Erin Stroud and Hilary Ireland to chat about how they prepared for and successfully defended their theses. You’ll hear a play-by-play audio diary of Erin’s defence process and reflections from Erin and Hilary on the run-up to the examination day.

If you are doing a PhD, this is the episode for you! www.plantandfood.com/scigest

Science careers can be diverse. How do you pick which path to follow? Starting out with a series of contract roles, Plant Physiology Scientist and PhD student Kris Kramer-Walter took the try-before-you-by approach.

Scigest host Erin Stroud chats to Kris about his journey into a science career and the diverse range of roles he has had so far. From working in the laboratory to sifting through land purchase agreements to fieldwork in remote parts of the New Zealand bush, Kris shares his insights into how to craft to perfect career for you. www.plantandfood.com/en-nz/scigest

In today’s episode, scigest host Erin Stroud chats to her personal mentor Dr Priya Subramanian, Plant & Food Research’s Dr Jill Stanley, and Student Support Adviser for Māori and Pacific students Lizzie Tafili about the importance of mentoring. Acting as a how-to guide, this episode will help you find (and be) a good mentor, no matter what stage of your career you are at. For more podcasts from us: https://www.plantandfood.com/en-nz/scigest