In celebration of National Science Week, we extend our congratulations to DairyBio and DairyFeedbase STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) scientists Dr. Amanda Chamberlain, Dr. Kathryn Sheffield, and Dr. Elizabeth Morse-McNabb, who were all recently nominated and shortlisted for the 2024 Ada Peer Recognition Award. The Innov-Ada Award recognises women who have made significant contributions to the field of STEM through innovative ideas or solutions.
Dr Amanda Chamberlain
Dr Amanda Chamberlain, runner-up for the Innov-Ada Award, is a Senior Research Scientist with over 20 years of experience at Agriculture Victoria. She is currently the leader on multiple DairyBio projects. Amanda’s projects aim to develop genomic prediction for health and fertility in dairy cows. Amanda developed Australia’s first customised single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip for dairy cattle, has multiple peer-reviewed papers, and leads Agriculture Victoria’s participation in international consortia like the 1,000 Bull Genomes Project, earning high praise for her innovative work and high-quality genomic data.
Dr Kathryn Sheffield
Dr Kathryn Sheffield is a Senior Researcher who specialises in spatial information sciences. Her expertise in GIS mapping, data science, and remote sensing is instrumental in managing crucial information for soil and weed
management. Kathryn is currently working on the DairySoils project, a vital component of the 5-year, $42.5 million DairyFeedbase program. The DairySoils project aims to help dairy farmers understand soil variability through sensing technologies. It has the potential to significantly improve fertiliser efficiency, reduce production costs, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr Liz Morse-McNabb
Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Morse-McNabb is a Senior Researcher at Agriculture Victoria’s Ellinbank Smart Farm and was involved in the DairyFeedbase17 – 23 program. Liz led the Pasture Smarts project, which aimed to develop tools for assessing rye grass pasture yield using remote satellite sensing technologies.
The Ada Peer Recognition Awards are a prestigious platform that celebrates the outstanding achievements of women in STEM across the Victorian Public Service. They recognised the significant contributions of our DairyBio and DairyFeedbase researchers. It is a huge privilege to have Dr Amanda Chamberlain, Dr Kathryn Sheffield, and Dr Elizabeth Morse-McNabb nominated for these awards, which honours innovative ideas and solutions in the field of STEM.