Join us for the next event in: Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University Excellence Series. This series has been designed to showcase leadership in various disciplines including the opportunity to promote the University’s distinctive and impactful applied research. This series celebrates research excellence and promotes a public forum to a broader community, highlighting Lincoln University’s specialist land-based contribution to driving New Zealand’s prosperity and intergenerational wellbeing.
Variety not only is the spice of life, it is life’s very essence, manifested in a myriad of ways in the natural world. Biodiversity is the key factor in ecosystem resilience. Understanding and utilising biological diversity therefore is a powerful tool to bolster the resilience of our changing world. By drawing inspiration from nature's playbook, we can utilise genetic variation within and between plant species to tackle the dual challenge of meeting food security under increasingly stressful environmental conditions.
This presentation will showcase several plant-based approaches from NZ and overseas that are part of climate-smart, sustainable intensification practices in agriculture. A case in point is the Pacific region, where such approaches are now becoming the norm, after decades of degradation of fragile agroecosystems. Sustainable innovation that synthesises plant diversity and new technologies with optimal resource use is key to strengthen these systems against the mounting challenges posed by climate change.
Join us as Professor Rainer Hofmann talks about how sustainable plant innovation can change the world. .
Please note: this event is being held in a new venue on campus - Waimarie Building
Timings
4.00 pm - Networking and drinks
4.15 pm - Welcome & introduction from LU Vice-Chancellor
4.20 pm - Presentation from Speaker
4.50 pm - Summary
5.00 pm - Networking and questions over drinks and nibbles
5.30pm - Event Ends
About Our Speaker
Professor Rainer Hofmann
As a plant physiologist, I work in a branch of science that studies how plants work: mechanisms such as photosynthesis, formation of primary and secondary metabolites, hormones (plant growth regulators) and water transport are examples of functional plant biology. I use physiological and biochemical tools to examine plant-environment interactions, with a main focus on plant stress resistance. Most of this work is related to climate change resilience. To address this challenge, I work closely with molecular biologists, plant breeders, agronomists, ecologists, social scientists and related disciplines. My research platform includes a number of national and international collaborations, including NZ Crown Research Institutes, industry and other universities in NZ as well as overseas. Our work is regularly cited in UN reports, and I have a special research interest in sustainable agriculture projects in the Pacific Islands region. I have served at university- and national levels in variety of functions, including as Head of Department and as the President of the NZ Society of Plant Biologists. I love bringing the beauty of plants and how they work to my students, and am recipient of a national Ako Aotearoa Sustained Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award.
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