Robyn McConchie

With the popularity of fresh salads, smoothies and other healthy products, Australians are consuming increasingly more fruit and vegetables raw.  Unfortunately, sometimes our produce can become contaminated with food-borne illness pathogens, such as salmonella, listeria or e-coli, which is problematic for the community as well as the industry. As the Director of the ARC Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry, Robyn McConchie leads a team that conducts industry-focused research to develop practical solutions to prevent or minimise food safety risks in fresh produce across the value chain. In the podcast, she talks about the benefits of collaborating with industry and the tremendous impact her work has had.

Her Centre also trains the next generation of food safety researchers and in the video, Robyn provides wise advice to early-career researchers around time management, resilience and prioritisation. Today, Robyn only engages in activities that are directly related to her field or mentorship-type of activities.

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Working in a field that is male-dominated inspires Robyn to advocate for women and create opportunities for them. In the video, Robyn openly talks about challenges faced by women in academia and offers some suggestions on what can be done at an institutional level to support women better.