(Seated) Honours scholarship students Annie Bone and Chris Watts (Curtin University) with Caitlyn Stuart (UWA).
Honours scholarship students are heading beyond campus and into the paddock under a new Western Australian partnership delivering practical, on-farm research outcomes for growers and industry.
The WA Agricultural Research Collaboration (WAARC) and Grower Group Alliance (GGA) Honours Partnership Program connects university honours students with grower groups to tackle real-world challenges facing WA agriculture, attracting strong interest and high-calibre research proposals from across the State.
Five honours students from WAARC member universities – Curtin University, Murdoch University and The University of Western Australia (UWA) – have been awarded scholarships to undertake applied research projects and engage with WA grower groups.
A sixth scholarship will be awarded to a Murdoch University student in Semester 2, 2026.
Each student will partner with a grower group to co-design and deliver research focused on industry-identified priorities, with projects commencing in Semester 1 or 2 this year.
The program supports both new graduates entering honours study and people already working in agriculture who want to strengthen their applied research skills and networks with growers and industry.
Honours students receive a $10,000 scholarship, with up to $10,000 in additional funding available to support travel and accommodation for regional research projects.
Participating grower groups receive $10,000 to host a student and benefit from tailored research, access to emerging talent and fresh analytical and problem‑solving capability.
WAARC Director Kelly Pearce said the program placed growers at the centre of the research process while building the next generation of applied agricultural researchers.
“It’s a win-win: students gain hands-on experience working alongside farming communities, while growers benefit from research shaped by real-world challenges – from productivity and profitability through to sustainability and innovation,” Dr Pearce said.
“Honours graduates are highly valued for their ability to translate research into practical solutions, helping build a strong pipeline of skilled professionals for Western Australia’s agriculture and food sector.”
The WAARC-GGA honours scholarship students will undertake research across priority areas for WA agriculture including livestock productivity, cropping systems, horticulture, rangelands management and value-added foods.
Projects will target improved cattle reproductive performance, advanced technologies for avocado yield prediction, enhanced nitrogen-use efficiency in wheat, improved rangelands condition management and stronger oat-based food products.
GGA Chief Executive Officer Rikki Foss said the partnership reinforced the importance of investing in people to drive agricultural innovation.
“We’re proud to partner with WAARC to provide meaningful, field-based research experience for the next generation of Western Australian agricultural professionals,” Ms Foss said.
“At GGA we believe in people over tools, and mindset over machinery, and we’ll continue to advocate for greater investment in human capital to achieve GGA’s vision of a producer-led system of agricultural innovation, adoption and collaboration.
“By connecting honours students directly with grower groups, this program brings fresh thinking, new skills and additional research capacity to the challenges growers face every day. It also provides students with the opportunity to engage and connect with Network grower groups and experience working in the regions.”
WAARC is backed by $25 million in State Government funding to boost Western Australia’s research capacity and industry sustainability.
WAARC-GGA Honours Partnership Program: Scholarship recipients 2026
Caitlyn Stuart (UWA, Semester 1)
Investigating how environmental factors influence cattle reproductive performance and productivity in northern pastoral systems
Grower group: Gascoyne Pilbara Rangelands Initiative
Leran Peng (UWA, Semester 2)
Leveraging Earth Observation and AI technologies to predict tree and block yield in Western Australian avocado orchards
Grower group: Society of Precision Agriculture Australia
Chris Watts (Curtin University, Semester 2)
Yield impact of biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) traits in CIMMYT wheat lines under contrasting nitrogen fertiliser rates in Western Australia
Grower group: Living Farm
Annie Bone (Curtin University, Semester 2)
Investigation of technology for rangelands condition management in the Southern Rangelands
Grower group: Southern Rangelands Pastoral Alliance
Joel Tinetti (Murdoch University, Semester 1)
Investigating the impact of oat flour nutrient composition on the physicochemical properties of oat beverages
Grower group: Facey Group