Corinne became hooked on plant science during her third year at the University of Tasmania and was awarded the H.N. Barber Scholarship to study honours in plant genetics. Corinne’s honours project focused on brassinosteriods, a group of plant hormones that are involved in several plant processes including cell growth, stem elongation, vascular tissue development and regulation of gene expression.
This research focused on how brassinosteriods interact with other plant hormones to affect plant growth and development. After completing honours Corinne continued her brassinosteriod research during her PhD, and her research has revealed that plants lacking brassinosteriod hormones also have altered levels of other growth hormones, thereby showing that brassinosteriods are important for maintaining normal plant growth and development.
Corinne submitted her PhD thesis and was awarded an ARC Discovery Grant to fund her postdoctoral research project for the next two years that further investigates the importance of brassinosteriods. This new project is examining the role of brassinosteroids in water stress, to determine whether they increase a plant’s resistance to water stress.
Corinne hopes results of this research can help in field situations such as agriculture and aims to develop closer links with industry partners and farmers throughout Australia.
"Plant Science has been an excellent place to complete my honours and PhD. I have had three excellent supervisors over the past five years and because of the diversity of knowledge and support in the department I have now been able to extend my Post-doc into other areas. Scientifically, staying at Plant Science has allowed me to study something new and exciting, as this is the only place in Australia studying brassinosteroids. Personally, I love working with the people of Plant Science. I have met some amazing people and friends and there really is a closeness and social aspect to the School that I’m sure I wouldn’t have found anywhere else."