Dean (Research) Griffith Sciences BSc, Biochemistry and Biology (Griffith) | PhD, Molecular Plant Pathology (Melbourne) PROFILE SUMMARY Professor Rebecca Ford is a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary and outcome focused research leader. She is driven to ensure that university-based research and research training is of the very highest quality and that the outcomes have clear articulation pathways for transfer and uptake of new knowledge and tools generated. Her broad research focus is on improving the sustainability of food production systems, specifically in developing and implementing novel tools for informed crop disease management and selective breeding. Her collaborative research has aided in the production of new varieties with resistance to major fungal pathogens. She has also developed molecular diagnostic tools to detect and quantify pathogens and provided new knowledge about their evolution and to inform disease management practices. This has directly led to the training of the next generation of agricultural industry professionals, and increased productivity and economic returns to the growers, as well as improved environmental impacts through reduced chemical use. She recently participated in the UN Food Systems Summit Dialogue: Multi-stakeholder partnerships for scaling agricultural innovation and is a strong advocate for women in science, particularly in mentoring the progression of ECR women to more senior science career levels within academia and industry. ONLINE PROFILES ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4192-0706 Griffith University Find An Expert: https://experts.griffith.edu.au/18969-rebecca-ford Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaford1/?originalSubdomain=au Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?hl=en&user=90T8COsAAAAJ