BIOGRAPHY SNAPSHOT

Sergey is a UWA Chair in Plant Physiology at University of Western Australia and a Head of the Stress Physiology laboratory. His area of expertise is plant stress physiology and mechanisms of plants adaptation to harsh environmental conditions such as drought, salinity, waterlogging, oxidative stress, and nutritional disorders. Over his research career, Sergey has published over 500 peer-reviewed papers and successfully supervised to completion 58 PhD students. He is an ISI Highly Cited researcher for the last eight consecutive years. His current H-index is 120, and his work has been cited about 50,000 times.

CURRENTLY FUNDED PROJECTS

• How plants open up: revealing the evolution of stomatal opening mechanisms (ARC Discovery; 2022-2024)
• Reducing environmental footprint by improving phosphorous use efficiency (ARC Linkage; 2022-2025)
• ARC Training Centre for Smart and Sustainable Horticulture (ARC Linkage; 2024- 2029)
• Increasing intrinsic heat tolerance of wheat through improved genetics in the source-sink relationship (GRDC; 2023-2025)

PAST PROJECTS

ARC Discovery

• Stomata functioning in halophytes for improved plant stress tolerance (2017-2019)
• Revealing enigma of salt bladders to help crops cope with salinity (2015-2017)
• Coping with flooding: nutrient transport in oxygen-deprived roots (2012-2015)
• Membrane transporters in oxidative stress signalling and tolerance (2010-1012)
• Novel approach to study mechanisms of Na⁺ transport in plants using Lab on a Chip technology (2008-2010)
• Integrated electrophysiology and molecular biology to understand the role of cell membranes in bacterial responses to chill and osmotic stress (2005-2007)
• Ion transporters regulating plant adaptive responses to salinity and the modes of their control by compatible solutes in plant cells (2004-2006)
• Ionic basis of blue light control of plant elongation and bending (2001-20023)
• Ultradian membrane oscillators and their ionic basis (1999-2001)

Other ARC schemes

• Developing molecular and physiological markers for marker-assisted barley breeding for waterlogging tolerance (ARC Linkage; 2012 – 2015)
• Halophytes for high-saline agriculture: optimising performance and understanding the physiology (ARC Linkage; 2010-2013)
• Quarantined ion chromatography mass spectrometry (IC-MS) facility (ARC LIEF 2021)
• Purchase of a multi-purpose Schottky field emission gun scanning electron microscope (ARC LIEF 2010)
• The Australian Plant Nutriomics Network (ARC Seed Grant 2004)

Grain Research and Development Corporation

• Transpirational control and oxidative stress tolerance traits as components of salinity stress tolerance in cereals (2014-2017)
• Developing high throughput technologies for assessing pre-harvest sprouting (2014-2015)
• Quantifying the relative contribution of physiological traits contributing to salinity tolerance in barley and wheat (2010-2013)
• Targeting K⁺ homeostasis in breeding wheat for salt tolerance (2007-2009)
• National Grains FACE Array (2007-2011)

Other funding bodies

• Salt tolerant rice for food security in Australia and India (Australia-India Strategic Research Funding; 2017-2020)
• Oxidative stress signalling in halophytes (Qatar NSF 2016-2018)
• Researcher Training and PhD Scholarship Program (2019 - 2023)
• Lucerne adapted to adverse environments in China & Australia (ACIAR 2001-2003)