Cotton Australia has announced the award finalists for the Cotton Seed Distributors Researcher of the Year Award, recognising the key role that research plays in the development of the Australian cotton industry.

The three finalists are:

• Dr Lisa Bird, Senior Research Scientist with NSW DPI, specialising in entomology.
• Dr Nicole McDonald, a Senior Researcher with CQ University, focussed on workforce strategy.
• Dr Alice Payne, Professor and Dean of the School of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT.

Cotton Australia General Manager Michael Murray said the three finalists, all on CRDC-supported projects, are playing an integral role in advancing cotton in very different ways, demonstrating the depth of research and knowledge development paths that share the objective of advancing the Australian cotton industry.

“Australian cotton growers have a deserved reputation for growing high quality sustainable fibre but the foundation for that success has, and continues to be, the world-leading research projects underway looking at all aspects of growing cotton.

“This Cotton Seed Distributor (CSD) sponsored award recognises that and shines a light on the fantastic work that these three individuals are engaged in – work that will help growers to realise the positive impacts on their farms.”

CSD CEO Dr Ian Taylor said the organisation is proud to sponsor the Cotton Seed Distributors Researcher of the Year Award because of the importance of research for cotton in general but also the role CSD plays in providing the Australian cotton industry with the best seed, germplasm, treatments and biotechnology traits.

“We have the greatest respect for our researchers and scientists because they play a direct role in improving the quality, yield and efficiency of the cotton industry over many years. They will continue to help drive the industry forward to compete globally where we can showcase our sustainability outcomes.

“The CSD Researcher of the Year Award provides fantastic recognition of the contribution of our cotton research community, delivering important research impacts for our growers – be it monitoring our insecticide resistance to keep our farms safe from pests, helping achieve best practice in managing our on-farm workforces, or identifying technologies to address the problem of textile waste.”

Briefs for each finalist are below:

• Dr Lisa Bird and her team at Narrabri’s ACRI play a pivotal role in the Australian cotton industry through their management of the industry's insecticide resistance program. This program conducts surveillance and research on insecticide resistance across five of the six major insect pests of cotton, including Helicoverpa, mirids, thrips, mites, and aphids. Collaborating closely with CottonInfo, industry consultants, agronomists, and QDAF, they ensure comprehensive insect sample collection from all regions. Recent seasons have seen significant resistance develop in mites and aphids, prompting rapid response from Lisa and her team in conducting testing, re-testing, and communication efforts.

• Dr Nicole McDonald began her research journey with a CRDC-funded PhD project in 2014 focused on cotton farm workers' job satisfaction using Social Cognitive Career Theory. Her findings highlighted the importance of workers feeling valued and cared for by their employers, as well as their alignment with environmental sustainability values, in relation to work engagement and job satisfaction. Over the past decade, Nicole has led pioneering projects in the industry, delving into topics such as work engagement, diversity and inclusion, and the future of work.

• Dr Alice Payne, Professor and Dean of the School of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT, is a leading figure in the field of sustainable fashion. Her research delves into environmental and social sustainability issues across the clothing lifecycle, with recent investigations focusing on labor concerns within the cotton value chain and innovative technologies aimed at mitigating textile waste. Notably, Alice contributes her expertise to the Australian Fashion Council-led consortium designing the National Clothing Product Stewardship Scheme.

Last week Cotton Australia announced the three finalists for the Bayer Grower of the Year and the three finalists in the AgriRisk High Achiever award.

Find out more about the finalists for the Cotton Seed Distributors Researcher of the Year award.