Ben Stodart

Biography

Dr Stodart undertook a BSc (Hons) from Flinders University of South Australia, and completed his PhD studies in plant pathology/molecular biology at The University of Adelaide before working as a technical officer at CSIRO Land and Water, performing research on several soil-borne plant pathogens associated with field crops in southern Australia. Following a move to Wagga Wagga in 2001, Dr Stodart worked in the molecular biology laboratory at NSW DPI, where he was involved the identification of underutilised genetic resources within the Australian Winter Cereals Collection for breeding programs, along with the assessment genetic diversity of wheat landraces in the collection. While at CSU, Dr Stodart has been conducting research and capacity building projects funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) which have involved the establishment plant protection capabilities in Cambodia, with an emphasis on rice and vegetables. He is currently conducting capacity building and development research to improve general plant biosecurity capabilities in Cambodia, Laos PDR and Thailand, and continuing his work on vegetable production in the region. He currently co-ordinates and teaches in Agricultural Biotechnology and Plant Pathology.

Research Interest

Population dynamics of plant pathogens Host/pathogen relations Population genetics Remote diagnostics and adoption of mobile technologies