Imagine a world in which everyone had access to safe, sufficient and sustainable food. This is the vision that inspires crop scientist Dr. Alison Bentley and frames her work in genetics and plant breeding. Her research aims to understand the fundamental plant processes that can be used as an engine-room to drive agricultural productivity and build climate resilience for a more food secure future. Alison works primarily on major staple cereal crops given their global significance and has experience in a range of research environments in Australia, Vietnam, the USA, the UK and Mexico. In addition to her work to develop and deliver future-ready crops, Alison is designing and implementing new interdisciplinary approaches to train the next-generation and address complex agricultural challenges.

Alison has a doctorate in agricultural science and a PhD in agriculture from The University of Sydney. She is a mother-of-three and a backyard botanist-plant breeder. She founded and leads Women in Crop Science, a network to boost connections, increase visibility, and foster greater gender equity in crop science. She is currently as a Research Group Leader and Deputy Director of the Agrifood Innovation Institute at the Australian National University.