Every fortnight, the WA Agricultural Scientist Spotlight profiles one of the researchers helping shape the resilience, productivity and future direction of Western Australian agriculture.
This edition features Dr Fatima Naim, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM), a co-investment between Curtin University and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).
Dr Naim’s career spans chemistry, genetics, plant genomics and physiology, and today she sits at the forefront of understanding how crops respond to disease and stress, knowledge that underpins future productivity and food security.
Early foundations and a global perspective on food
Dr Naim did not grow up on a farm, but food has always been central to how she understands the world.
Her early life was shaped by migration, family, and daily rituals that reinforced the value of fresh, nutritious food – experiences that later resonated deeply with her scientific career.
“I don’t come from an agricultural family, but food has always held deep meaning for me,” she said.
Some of her earliest memories are closely tied to food grown or sourced by family members, formed against a backdrop of conflict and displacement, where access to nutritious food could not be taken for granted.
“I still remember the taste of cucumbers and fresh fruit my grandmother grew in her backyard in Kabul, and my father cycling early each morning in Peshawar to buy fresh buffalo milk for our family,” Dr Naim said.
“Through war and migration, access to nutritious food was something my family valued deeply.”
While these experiences did not immediately lead her into agriculture, they shaped a worldview that later aligned naturally with the purpose of agricultural research.
Dr Naim’s formal scientific training began at The University of Western Australia (UWA), where she studied chemistry and genetics before completing an Honours in Chemistry Education in 2007.
In 2010, she made a defining shift into plant science, moving to CSIRO Plant Industry in Canberra to undertake a PhD in plant metabolic engineering, enrolled through The University of Sydney.
The move marked a turning point, both scientifically and personally.
“I loved my PhD,” she said.
“The project, the training environment, and the mentorship were outstanding.”
Dr Naim’s doctoral work immersed her in a collaborative research culture and a breadth of scientific approaches, reinforced by frequent travel between Canberra and Sydney.
It was during this time agriculture emerged as a clear career pathway.
“Once I started manipulating metabolic pathways in plant cells and understood how agricultural research directly contributes to feeding people, I never looked back,” she said.
A career built on adaptability and capability
Rather than specialising narrowly, Dr Naim’s career has been shaped by adaptability and a willingness to move across disciplines.
Following her PhD, she relocated to Brisbane in 2013 to join the Queensland University of Technology, where she was exposed to operational realities of research and a wide range of projects.
In 2014, she was appointed as a postdoctoral researcher on Professor Waterhouse’s Laureate Fellowship, working on gene harmony and gene editing, to improve gene knock-in and knock-out technologies in plants.
These years deepened her expertise in plant genomics and molecular biology, while reinforcing an approach to science grounded in learning, flexibility and collaboration.
“I didn’t follow a single niche topic throughout my career and have instead pursued opportunities that aligned with my life stage and allowed me to grow,” Dr Naim said.
“While this path hasn’t resulted in a long publication trail in one narrow field, it has given me a broad and flexible skill set that I now apply to complex agricultural problems.”
In 2019, she and her family returned to Western Australia to join Curtin University’s Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM).
The move marked the beginning of a new chapter, one focused squarely on grain crops and the challenges facing Australian growers.
“Although the focus on grain crops and fungal diseases was new to me, I used my existing skills to establish and lead the centre’s plant physiology project,” she said.
Over subsequent years, Dr Naim has built a research program which integrates genomics, molecular biology, phenotyping and experimental design, bridging molecular discovery and practical application.
Her experiences across institutions and disciplines have also shaped a strong commitment to training, protocols and data stewardship.
“I’ve been fortunate to work in supportive environments, and these experiences have shaped my focus on understanding plant physiological responses to disease and on building sector-wide capability through training, protocols and data stewardship,” Dr Naim said.
Leading research today and shaping what comes next
Today, Dr Naim leads two complementary projects at the CCDM.
One focuses on plant physiology, examining the earliest stages of infection and recovery in wheat and barley.
The other supports research data management across the grains industry.
“My team is mapping how pathogens rewire plant physiology from the earliest stages of infection through to whole-plant responses,” she said.
“We integrate spatial transcriptomics, transcriptional isoform and epigenetic analyses, and advanced imaging to understand disease and pathogen adaptation in wheat and barley.
The goal is to uncover whole-plant responses that can be used for phenotyping stress and understanding complex traits such as disease tolerance.
By applying and adapting emerging technologies to complex crops, Dr Naim’s research delivers insights relevant well beyond Western Australia.
“We are combining genotype and phenotype information so that complex cellular processes can eventually be measured and used to understand plant responses to multiple stresses,” she said.
“This benefits agriculture both locally and globally.”
Despite the technical sophistication of her work, Dr Naim finds the greatest fulfilment not in individual discoveries, but in enabling others.
“Supporting my team and watching them achieve their goals is what truly fulfils me and drives me to keep going,” she said.
“My proudest accomplishment is the people I’ve worked with and the networks I’ve built over the years.”
Through her leadership at the CCDM, Dr Fatima Naim is helping shape not only how crops respond to disease, but how the next generation of agricultural scientists is equipped to tackle the challenges ahead, ensuring Western Australian agriculture remains productive, resilient and globally relevant.
Through the WA Agricultural Scientist Spotlight series, WAARC celebrates the contributions of researchers like Fatima Naim, whose work exemplifies the dedication and innovation needed to advance agricultural science in Western Australia.
By sharing their stories, the series aims to inspire a new generation to pursue careers in this vital field, ensuring the State remains at the forefront of agricultural research and sustainability.