Science in Agriculture Enabling Dr Katia Taylor to have the Impact she Wants to have on the World

Curious. Excited. Nervous. Three words Katia Taylor used to describe her feelings at the beginning of her journey as an evokeAG. Future Young Leader. 

“I’m curious about understanding how I got here and where it could go.

And I am excited and a little bit nervous when I think about presenting at evokeAG.” 

Katia’s journey to be successful in a Future Young Leaders application has involved a change in degree, over five years of research in soils and a passion for the environment. 

Agriculture is enabling Katia to have the opportunity to have the impact she wants to have on the world. 

Copyright: Rachael Lenehan Photography

“I have a desire to improve environmental outcomes and sustainability, which I didn’t actually realise until a workshop with Bryce Ives [Future Young Leaders Program mentor]! I have just been so focused on my research.”

“My career came from wanting to do something about climate change and other environmental issues, so I started studying Policy and Economics in Canberra.”

After one semester, Katia decided that Policy and Economics wasn’t going to get her where she wanted to be, so she changed into science. 

“We can solve big societal and environmental problems using science.

And agriculture for me is the most important.”  

“It’s this intersection between food security, biodiversity, climate change and societal issues like equality, accessibility… It has everything and is just the most interesting space. And one where science and technology can have a big difference to help improve those sorts of things.”  

Katia is now a Postdoctoral Researcher with CSIRO, focused on research to improve the profitability, sustainability, and resilience of the Australian agricultural sector.

“My [CSIRO work] team are super stoked that I am part of the evokeAG. Future Young Leaders Program.”

Copyright: Rachael Lenehan Photography

Q and A:

HOA: What made you apply to be an evokeAG. Future Young Leader?

Katia: I saw it [evokeAG.] this year [2023] but I had only just started at CSIRO so it didn’t fall into place, but it was on my radar as a super fantastic event.

And then my Supervisor saw the Future Young Leaders Program applications open the day before it was due. And I thought, ‘this looks cool, I am going to give this a red hot crack’.

I think I submitted it with about 20 minutes to spare.

HOA: What is your project about?

Katia: The first green revolution was about applying tonnes and tonnes of fertiliser to achieve high yields.

I think we could have a second green revolution which is about understanding and harnessing soil microbes in order to improve soil and plant health.

So that’s what my research is about, it’s about understanding and harnessing those microbes.

HOA: What are you hoping to achieve from the evokeAG. Future Young Leaders Program?

Katia: If and once I find something [in soil microbes], I want to know who to reach out to, to develop it into a product to get it out to market. 

My goal is to understand who are the sorts of companies that would be interested in working together to deliver it and begin those relationships.

HOA: What are you most looking forward to in the evokeAG. Future Young Leaders Program?

Katia: I have so much excitement to get to know the other Future Young Leaders. It’s not so often that you get to meet people who are also so passionate about agriculture but are from such different areas. 

We have the same shared goals around improving agriculture but we’re all doing it with different approaches and stories and journeys in agriculture. So I am really keen to get to know them more.

HOA: What has surprised you about the evokeAG. Future Young Leaders Program so far?

Katia: Bryce Ives [Future Young Leaders Program mentor] is amazing. I didn’t know what to expect and I have done other communications courses in the past. But I really quickly realised to trust his process because it totally works. 

All the activities he gets you to do, you finish them and you have worked out something about yourself. It’s scary, but I think by the time I get there it will be manageable.

HOA: What are the biggest challenges your project is facing? 

Katia: Getting that balance between communicating the science that I do and doing it in a way that people can relate to and access is my challenge. 

I want to communicate all the details because I want my research to have integrity, but often if I do that it’s too much. I want to do it in an accessible way so I am exploring using analogies and imagery to communicate that way”.

I am still trying to work out what message to deliver at evokeAG. and what I want to get out of the Future Young Leaders Program, other than just communicating a narrative really well, which is just a given.

Copyright: Rachael Lenehan Photography

Katia was selected for the evokeAG. Future Young Leaders Program, “designed to build the capacity of emerging leaders from across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific while providing a platform to share their key messages, innovations, research, stories, and passions for Australian rural industries and the value chain, to deliver, develop, adopt and export agrifood innovation to the world.”

Future Young Leaders get to showcase their ideas on stage at the conference. But not before they develop and refine their idea through an intense mentoring program and workshopping in the lead up to the event.

We’re excited to be heading to evokeAG. in Perth on February 20-21, 2024. We’ll be spending more time with the Future Young Leaders so keep your eyes, and ears peeled for more.

Sponsor shoutout:

Our #FutureYoungLeader stories are proudly sponsored by 2024 AgriFutures evokeAG.