My research interests focus on plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses in field and laboratory settings where mechanistic approach of plant physiology and agronomic experiments are harmonised. Uncertain climate variability prompted me to concentrate on pre-breeding and agronomy research to reduce impact on food security by more climate resilient crops.  

I have conducted projects in Australia, Japan and Bangladesh working closely with UWA Principal Investigators Profs. Tim Colmer, William Erskine and Zed Rengel. I have collaborated with Profs. Mikio Nakazono and Moto Ashikari (Nagoya University), Ole Pederson (Copenhagen University), Szilvia Veres (University of Debrecen) and Erik Veneklaas (UWA).  Projects were on soil-waterlogging, soil-salinity and nutrition of dryland crops (i.e. wheat, barley, maize and crop legumes). More specifically: i. identifying physiological traits and tolerance to waterlogging, salinity and combined stresses of these two, ii. identifying cultivars for Nitrogen Use Efficiency, and iii. intensification of rice based cropping systems in Bangladesh.  Currently with CIAT, I am leading Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) based cropping systems research in South and Southeast Asia for sustainable production. The main focuses are on the nutrition of cassava and associated soil management to improve livelihoods of small holder farmers. Much of my work emphasizes the appropriate use of NPK fertilisers, effect of disease on cassava yield, and response of diseases to fertiliser application. Rapid multiplication of clonal propagated crop (as cassava) is also an important aspect of my research.

Increase Cassava production and profitability through clean seed technology in Cambodia (2018-2021) at CIAT Funded by Cambodia-Australia Agricultural Value Chain (CAVAC) Program Phase II

Establishing sustainable solution to cassava diseases in mainland Southeast Asia (2019−2023) (component leader) at CIAT- Funded by Australian Centre for International Agriculture (ACIAR)

I have completed my PhD. in Plant Science on Tolerance of wheat to different depth and duration of soil waterlogging from The University of Western Australia, Australia (2003) under the supervision of Dr. Marcus Schortemeyer, Prof. Tim Colmer and Prof. Hans Lambers. Then I worked as a research officer with Tim Colmer. In 2007, I moved to Tokyo University with a Japanese Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) fellowship at the laboratory of Prof. Mikio Nakazono. In 2010, I came back to UWA to join Prof. Zed Rengel’s group and then to Prof. William Erskine’s group. I was also six months at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) to work on intensification of rice based cropping systems with an Australia Award Endeavour Research fellowship.

In 2017 I moved to Hanoi, Vietnam, to join as Cassava Production Systems Specialist at the Asia regional office of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (International Centre for Tropical agriculture), a CGIAR organisation. Currently I am based in Vientiane, Laos. I have published 29 referred journal papers and 2 book chapters since 2001. I supervise PhD and MSc Students. I am currently serving as a Section Editor for the Journal Plant and Soil.