Dr Barbara Drigo conducted her doctoral studies at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) in the Netherlands and was awarded her PhD in 2009 at the University of Leiden. Her PhD research used a number of interrelated methods in molecular microbial ecology to study the effects of climatic conditions on plant-soil-microbial interactions. While waiting for her PhD thesis defence (Feb 2018- Jan2019), she worked as a project manager for Plant Research International at the Wageningen University & Research Centre. Shortly after, she moved to the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE) at Western Sydney University. At the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE), I contributed to numerous research projects focussing on... Read more
About me
Dr Barbara Drigo conducted her doctoral studies at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) in the Netherlands and was awarded her PhD in 2009 at the University of Leiden. Her PhD research used a number of interrelated methods in molecular microbial ecology to study the effects of climatic conditions on plant-soil-microbial interactions. While waiting for her PhD thesis defence (Feb 2018- Jan2019), she worked as a project manager for Plant Research International at the Wageningen University & Research Centre. Shortly after, she moved to the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE) at Western Sydney University. At the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE), I contributed to numerous research projects focussing on (i) the effect of climatic changes (drought and elevated atmospheric concentrations of CO2) on plant-soil-microbial interactions and (ii) rehabilitation of degraded lands using microbial bio-amendments. In August 2016, she became a lecturer/research fellow (equivalent to US Assistant Professor) with the Future Industries Institute (FII). Since joining UniSA’s Future Industries Institute (FII) in 2016, she has led the molecular microbial component of several research projects on food, soil and water safety and security in Australia and Pacific islands (total funding $3.931M). Her research was featured at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science, the White House Office of Science and Technology, the Royal Geographical Society in London, Proceeding of the National Academy of Science USA, ISME Journal and in Trends in Ecology and Evolution and many other media. Her research was awarded by the American Society of Microbiology (ASM) and the International Society of Microbial Ecology (ISME) and, she was invited as a visiting scientist in several institutions including University of Oxford (UK), Uppsala University (Sweden), Chinese Academy of Science (China), James Hutton Institute (UK) and Australian National University. Since 2015, she is an eXXpedition ambassador. In this role, a key focus has been to build a global network of multidisciplinary women who can contribute to world-class scientific studies. The eXXpedition achievements have been highlighted by Time Magazine, the BBC, CNN, ABC, SKY News and many other media. In 2016 and 2017, the research she collaboratively conducted into the effect of human activities on ecosystem functioning was featured at the White House Office of Science and Technology (Barack H. Obama II administration), the Royal Geographical Society and other media. In 2016, she was invited to attend the Theo Murphy Australian Frontiers of Science Symposium on ‘The Microbiome: Exploring the role of microorganisms in ecosystem processes and health’. In 2018, she established the Joint Academic Microbiology Seminars (JAMS) in Adelaide and the ‘500 Women Scientists’ in Australian and New Zealand. Both are multi-award-winning non-profit organisations devoted to supporting early and mid-career microbiologists and women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) respectively.
About me
2018 Invited guest editor on the special issue in Mycorrhizal Microbiomes in Mycorrhiza.
2012-14 Editorial board member for Frontiers Microbiology in Terrestrial Microbiology.
2012-current Served as a grant reviewer in microbial ecology for the European Commission Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, the US National Science foundation, the Israel Science Foundation, the French National Research Agency, the Research Foundation Flanders and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research.
2007- current Regular invited reviewer for numerous highly ranked journals such as Nature Climate Change, Nature Microbiology, Nature Scientific Reports, Proceeding for the National Academy of Science (PNAS), ISME Journal, Global Change Biology, Environmental Microbiology, Ecology Letters, New Phytologist etc.
Professional memberships
Society member of the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME), the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), the Australian and New Zealand Society for Microbiology (ASM), European Ecology Federation (EEF) and Ecological Society of Australia (ESA).
Media engagement
The research I collaboratively conducted into the effect of climate change and human pollution on terrestrial and marine microbial communities was featured at University of Michigan (August 2016), Global News Canada (August 2016), at the White House Office of Science and Technology, at The National Microbiome Initiative (June 2016), Newcastle Herald (May 2016), the Ecologist (February 2016), the Royal Geographical Society in London (2015-2016), Chinese Central Television (2015), SBS (2015), BBC (2015), Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA (2010), the National Dutch television network (2010), and the RAI radio-television network (2010).
About me
Doctor of Philosophy Universiteit Leiden
1. Research Fellow/Lecturer, Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, South Australia, Australia. 2016 – current.
2. Visiting Lecturer, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China. 2015.
3. Research Fellow, Soil Biology and Genomics, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia. 2014 – 2016.
4. Research Fellow, Soil Biology and Genomics, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia. 2009 – 2013.
5. Research Fellow, Plant Research International, University of Wageningen, Wageningen, the Netherlands. 2008 – 2009.
6. Adjunct Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen, United Kingdom. 2009.
7. Project manager, Plant Research International, University of Wageningen, Wageningen, the Netherlands. 2008 – 2009.
8. Doctorate in Biology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, University of Leiden and Wageningen University, the Netherlands. Jan 2004 - Jan 2008. Awarded 21 January 2009.
9. Adjunct PhD, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. 2004 - 2005.
10. Plant Genomics European Internship, University of Wageningen (the Netherlands) and University of Trento (Italy). Sept 2002 - Dec 2003.
Dr Barbara Drigo is currently leading the molecular microbial component of several projects directly relevant to this proposal on food, soil and water safety and security in Australia and Pacific islands (total funding $3.93M):
2020-23 - DFAT-ACIAR. $2.8M- co-investigator.
2017-20 - HIA Research Grant. $793K – co-investigator.
2020 - UniSA RTIS. $40K – principal investigator.
2020 UniSA RTIS. $40K – co-investigator.
2019-20 - WRA. $110K – co-investigator.
2019 - SA EPA. $38K – co-investigator.
2019 - FIA. $38K – principal investigator.
2018 - UniSA RTIS. $40K – principal investigator.
2018 - FIA. $50K – co-investigator.
2017- UniSA NAF. $20K – co-investigator.
Research
Excludes commercial-in-confidence projects.
Improving safety of vegetable produce through on‐farm sanitation, using Electrolysed Oxidising (EO) Water - VG15068, Hort Innovation, 01/06/2017 - 31/05/2020
Research
Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus
Open access indicates that an output is open access.
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2020 |
Open access
36
33
3
|
| 2018 |
Open access
185
180
48
|
| 2017 |
Open access
9
7
10
|
| 2010 |
Open access
342
302
|
| 2009 |
Open access
74
69
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2017 |
5
|
| 2013 |
5
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2023 |
1
1
1
|
| 2023 |
Open access
|
| 2022 |
15
14
79
|
| 2022 |
2
6
|
| 2022 |
1
1
11
|
| 2022 |
Open access
2
22
|
| 2022 |
Open access
4
3
5
|
| 2022 |
3
3
2
|
| 2022 |
3
2
10
|
| 2022 |
Open access
11
10
6
|
| 2022 |
4
2
10
|
| 2021 |
Open access
2
3
9
|
| 2021 |
13
13
6
|
| 2021 |
3
4
5
|
| 2021 |
Open access
8
7
7
|
| 2021 |
Open access
6
5
1
|
| 2020 |
Open access
36
33
3
|
| 2020 |
Open access
21
22
|
| 2020 |
Open access
22
20
1
|
| 2020 |
Open access
36
33
24
|
| 2019 |
3
2
|
| 2019 |
Open access
12
12
2
|
| 2018 |
7
7
10
|
| 2018 |
Open access
2
2
|
| 2018 |
Open access
185
180
48
|
| 2018 |
12
11
12
|
| 2018 |
Open access
7
7
|
| 2017 |
Open access
9
7
10
|
| 2017 |
Open access
6
5
|
| 2015 |
46
45
1
|
| 2014 |
19
18
1
|
| 2014 |
Open access
30
29
3
|
| 2013 |
Open access
15
15
|
| 2013 |
80
73
|
| 2012 |
Open access
64
62
|
| 2010 |
Open access
342
302
|
| 2009 |
Open access
74
69
|
| 2009 |
14
16
|
| 2008 |
Open access
204
180
|
Since 2005, I have been invited to speak at 12 national and 28 international conferences including six keynotes/ plenaries. Most notable:
2019 Differing ecological responses to recycled water treatment units significantly affect microbiome and resistome related risks. 15th International Symposium on the Environmental Dimension of Antibiotic Resistance, June 9 - 14, Hong Kong (invited presentation)
2018 Dissemination of antibiotic resistant microbial communities and genes from hospital and municipal wastewater to downstream environments. XENOWAC II, 12-14 October, Limassol, Cyprus (invited presentation)
2018 Microbiome and mobile antibiotic resistome in Australian wastewater treatment plants and recycled wastewater products. ISME 17, 12-17 August, Leipzig, Germany (invited presentation)
2018 Towards a one health approach: dissemination of antibiotic resistant microbial communities and genes from hospital, municipal wastewater to downstream environments. Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM), 1-4 July 2018, Brisbane (invited presentation)
2017 Microbiome and mobile antibiotic resistome in Australian wastewater treatment plants and recycled wastewater products. Focused Meeting 2017: Antimicrobial Resistance and One Health, 29-30 August, Maynooth University (invited presentation)
2016 Trading nutrients between drought-tolerant mycorrhizae and hyphae-associated microbes. ISME 16, 21-26 August, Montreal, Canada (invited presentation)
2016 Trading nutrients between drought-tolerant mycorrhizae and hyphae-associated microbes. EcoSummit 2016, 29 August-1 September, Montpellier, France (keynote)
2015 Pathogenicity and spatial distribution of microbes and nematodes in subsurface soils. Frontiers in Soil Microbiology (FISM 15), 26-28 October, Beijing, China (keynote)
2015 Microbial ecology of subsurface soils in an Australian woodland. ISSR8, 6-9 October, Canberra (invited presentation)
2015 The soil perspective. Australian Society for Microbiology, 12-15 July, Canberra (invited presentation)
2015 What will climate change mean for infectious disease? The rhizosphere perspective. Rhizosphere 4, 21-25 June, Maastricht, the Netherlands (invited presentation)
2014 Soil-borne human pathogens geography of Australia. National Soil Science Conference, 23-27 November, Melbourne, Australia (invited presentation)
2013 Will the forest soil microbiome stop doing us a favour? 5th joint conference of the Ecological Society of Australia and the New Zealand Ecological Society. November, Auckland (invited presentation)
2011 Microorganisms and climate change: terrestrial microbial feedbacks and carbon flow 111th General Meeting – American Society for Microbiology, 21-24 May, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (invited presentation)
2006 Climate change goes underground: tracking specific microbial responses in the rhizosphere of plants subjected to elevated CO2. ISME 11, 20-25 August, Vienna, Austria (invited presentation)
Research
2020-23 - DFAT-ACIAR. $2.8M- co-investigator.
2017-20 - HIA Research Grant. $793K – co-investigator.
2020 - UniSA RTIS. $40K – principal investigator.
2020 UniSA RTIS. $40K – co-investigator.
2019-20 - WRA. $110K – co-investigator.
2019 - SA EPA. $38K – co-investigator.
2019 - FIA. $38K – principal investigator.
2018 - UniSA RTIS. $40K – principal investigator.
2018 - FIA. $50K – co-investigator.
2017- UniSA NAF. $20K – co-investigator.
2019-current STEM Women, Australian Academy of Science.
2019-current Australian and New Zealand coordinator of ‘500 Women Scientists’.
2018-current JAMS South Australia coordinator.
2017 - Visiting Research Fellow at the Catholic University of Portugal.
2017 - Invited chairperson at the 9th International Conference on Mycorrhiza (ICOM9), Prague, CZ.
2015 - Visiting Lecturer Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China.
2015-current EXXpedition ambassador.
2015-16 - Lecture at Stable Isotopes in Biosphere Systems Workshops (SIBS)
2014-16 - Scientific committee member of the Australian Mine Rehabilitation conference.
2012-15 - Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research Talent Program Awardee.
2011 - Visiting Research Fellow, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden.
2006-10 - ISME Travel Award for Young Scientists.
2009 - Leiden University Award for Excellence in Science.
2007 - American Society for Microbiology C.A.P. Grant Award.
2009 - Visiting Research Fellow, James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen, UK.
2004 - Visiting PhD student, Centre for Ecology &Hydrology, University of Oxford, UK.
2004-08 - Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science (KNAW) Scholar awardee.
2004 - EMBO Fellowship awardee.
2001-03 - European Commission Life-Long Learning Programme/Wageningen University awardee.
External engagement & recognition
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| Agricultural Research Organization | ISRAEL |
| Australian Water Quality Centre | AUSTRALIA |
| Centre for Ecology and Hydrology | UNITED KINGDOM |
| Charles Sturt University | AUSTRALIA |
| Charles University in Prague | CZECH REPUBLIC |
| Chinese Academy of Sciences | CHINA |
| Colorado State University | UNITED STATES |
| CSIRO Australia (Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation) | AUSTRALIA |
| Ecas4 Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| ECAS4 Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| Ecas4 Australia Pty Ltd | AUSTRALIA |
| Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute | AUSTRALIA |
| Forschungszentrum Julich | GERMANY |
| Griffith University | AUSTRALIA |
| Hebrew University of Jerusalem | ISRAEL |
| Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ | GERMANY |
| Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Campus Nord | GERMANY |
| Lancaster University | UNITED KINGDOM |
| Land and Water - CSIRO | AUSTRALIA |
| Leiden University | NETHERLANDS |
| Melbourne Water Corporation | AUSTRALIA |
| Monash University | AUSTRALIA |
| Netherlands Institute of Ecology | NETHERLANDS |
| Norwich Research Park | UNITED KINGDOM |
| NSW Department of Primary Industries | AUSTRALIA |
| Quadram Institute | UNITED KINGDOM |
| Quadram Institute Bioscience | UNITED KINGDOM |
| Queensland University of Technology | AUSTRALIA |
| Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research | NETHERLANDS |
| SA Water Corporation | AUSTRALIA |
| San Antonio Abad del Cusco National University | PERU |
| South Australian Health | AUSTRALIA |
| South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) | AUSTRALIA |
| Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences | SWEDEN |
| Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne | SWITZERLAND |
| Sydney Adventist Hosptial | AUSTRALIA |
| TRILITY | AUSTRALIA |
| Universidade Católica Portuguesa | PORTUGAL |
| University of Aberdeen | UNITED KINGDOM |
| University of Adelaide | AUSTRALIA |
| University of British Columbia | CANADA |
| University of Cyprus | CYPRUS |
| University of Edinburgh | UNITED KINGDOM |
| University of Innsbruck | AUSTRIA |
| University of Lorraine | FRANCE |
| University of Manchester | UNITED KINGDOM |
| University of Melbourne | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Oxford | UNITED KINGDOM |
| University of Porto | PORTUGAL |
| University of Queensland | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Sassari | ITALY |
| University of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Technology Sydney | AUSTRALIA |
| University of the Sunshine Coast | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Thessaly | GREECE |
| University of Wageningen | NETHERLANDS |
| University of Western Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Zurich | SWITZERLAND |
| Utah State University | UNITED STATES |
| Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute | AUSTRALIA |
| Water Research Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| Western Sydney University | AUSTRALIA |
| XING Technologies (Australia) | AUSTRALIA |
External engagement & recognition
| Engagement/recognition | Year |
|---|---|
Australian Mine Rehabilitation scientific committee leadTom Farrell Institute for the Environment |
2017 |
EditorFrontiers in Microbiology |
2017 |
MemberAmerican Society for Microbiology |
2017 |
MemberAustralian and New Zealand Society of Criminology (ANZSOC) |
2017 |
MemberEcological Society of Australia |
2017 |
MemberEuropean Ecology Federation |
2017 |
MemberInternational Society for Microbial Ecology |
2017 |
ReviewerApplied Soil Ecology |
2017 |
ReviewerBiodegradation |
2017 |
ReviewerBiology and Fertility of Soils |
2017 |
ReviewerEcology Letters |
2017 |
ReviewerEnvironmental Microbiology |
2017 |
ReviewerFEMS Microbiology |
2017 |
ReviewerGlobal Change Biology |
2017 |
ReviewerISME Journal |
2017 |
ReviewerMycological Research |
2017 |
ReviewerNature Climate Change |
2017 |
ReviewerNew Phytologist |
2017 |
ReviewerPlant and Soil |
2017 |
ReviewerPLOS ONE |
2017 |
ReviewerProceedings for the National Academy of Science |
2017 |
ReviewerSoil Biology and Biochemistry |
2017 |
Scientific advisorExpedition |
2017 |
Scientific advisorIndigo V expedition |
2017 |
Scientific advisorUNESCO |
2017 |
Grant of Excellence in ScienceLeiden University |
2009 |
500 Women Scientists Australia and New Zealand co-ordinator:
This organization was started by four women who met in graduate school at CU Boulder and who maintained friendships and collaborations after jobs and life took them away from Boulder. They published an open letter re-affirming their commitment to speak up for science and for women, minorities, immigrants, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA.
500 Women Scientists works to build communities and foster real change that comes from small groups, not large crowds. Local Pods help create deep roots through strong, personal relationships and where members meet regularly, develop a support network, make strategic plans, and take action. Their focus is on issues that resonate in their communities and rooted in their mission and values.
Over 20,000 women of STEM and supporters from more than 100 countries have signed in support of 500 Women Scientists, pledging to build an inclusive scientific community dedicated to training a more diverse group of future leaders in science and to use the language of science to bridge divides and enhance global diplomacy.
Interested in joining the 500 Women Scientists leadership team? We are looking to bring a diversity of voices and perspectives from across backgrounds, scientific disciplines, career stages, and geographies into our all-volunteer leadership team. Get in touch!
For more information: https://500womenscientists.org/request-a-scientist
Joint Academic Microbiology Seminars (JAMS) - Adelaide co-ordinator
Established in 2010 in Sydney and now hosted in four cities: Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Singapore. JAMS is a group of microbiologists that meet once a month to chat about all things microbiology over a beverage. We’re always looking for new speakers, so if you’d like to practice a talk in a relaxed environment, contact me at barbara.drigo@unisa.edu.au.
Take a stroll through our website (http://jams.org.au/) where you can meet our team, find info on our JAMS events, read our latest blog posts, and sign up to our mailing lists so you never miss an event. There’s also a noticeboard where we post info on conferences, other events, and microbiology jobs.
Our twitter account is @AdelaideJAMS or @jamsorgau
500 Women Scientists Australia and New Zealand co-ordinator:
This organization was started by four women who met in graduate school at CU Boulder and who maintained friendships and collaborations after jobs and life took them away from Boulder. They published an open letter re-affirming their commitment to speak up for science and for women, minorities, immigrants, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA.
500 Women Scientists works to build communities and foster real change that comes from small groups, not large crowds. Local Pods help create deep roots through strong, personal relationships and where members meet regularly, develop a support network, make strategic plans, and take action. Their focus is on issues that resonate in their communities and rooted in their mission and values.
Over 20,000 women of STEM and supporters from more than 100 countries have signed in support of 500 Women Scientists, pledging to build an inclusive scientific community dedicated to training a more diverse group of future leaders in science and to use the language of science to bridge divides and enhance global diplomacy.
Interested in joining the 500 Women Scientists leadership team? We are looking to bring a diversity of voices and perspectives from across backgrounds, scientific disciplines, career stages, and geographies into our all-volunteer leadership team. Get in touch!
For more information: https://500womenscientists.org/request-a-scientist
Teaching & student supervision
Teaching & student supervision
Supervisions from 2010 shown
| Thesis title | Student status |
|---|---|
| Antimicrobial resistance carriage in birds: potential links to habitat, diet, and the environment | Current |
| Distribution and co-occurrence of environmental antimicrobial resistant bacteria and genetic resistance elements of rivers and coastal ecosystems | Current |
| Optimization of drinking water treatment processes during extreme events | Current |
| Smart monitoring for Environmental Microbial Risk Assessment | Current |
| Utilizing construction and demolition waste materials as a growing medium for floating wetland plants to remove pollutants from urban water sources | Current |
| Characterisation of antimicrobial resistance in hospital wastewater populations with in-depth analysis of Klebsiella oxytoca | Completed |
| Comparative effects of agricultural pesticides on South Australian soil microbial functions | Completed |
