Sydney Institute of Agriculture's Annual RD Watt Lecture

It’s time to stop and think about the soil

Have you ever stopped to think about soil? Beyond its beauty and wonderful smell, soil supports 59% of all biodiversity and plays a vital role in producing more than 97% of the world’s food supply.

For more than eight decades, academics at The University of Sydney have been at the forefront of pioneering new ways to understand, measure, and monitor soil. Their groundbreaking work has not only transformed our perceptions of soil but has also revolutionised how we educate others about its importance. The contributions of these educators and researchers, alongside the ongoing efforts of those who continue to advocate for soil, are essential to securing the future of this invaluable resource.

The 2025 RD Watt Lecture will honour the University of Sydney's extraordinary legacy in soil science, which spans over eighty years. We are excited to feature four distinguished speakers - all alumni of the University - who are leading new advances in soil research, management and education. These experts are driving efforts to improve agriculture, secure soil resources for Australia, our Pacific neighbours, and beyond, while also tackling emerging challenges. During the lecture, we will celebrate their exceptional achievements and explore the future of soil science, ensuring the continued security of soil for generations to come.

Our host

Professor Alex McBratney AM FAA, Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, Professor of Digital Agriculture & Soil Science, University of Sydney

Professor Alex McBratney FAA, an ARC Laureate Fellow, is making significant strides in the fields of soil science and digital agriculture. With a passion for understanding the global significance of soil and advancing agricultural practices, his current work focuses on pioneering the concept of soil security, an essential area for sustaining soil for humanity and planetary functioning. At the forefront of innovation, Professor McBratney is also spearheading efforts to translate his research to commercialize cutting-edge AgTech solutions within the university. His research emphasizes the development of technologies for measuring soil water, soil carbon, and agricultural product quality - critical components in enhancing productivity and sustainability in agriculture and landscape management.

Our Speakers

Dr Broughton Boydell, Senior Staff Engineer, Emerging Technologies, John Deere USA

Dr Broughton Bopydell’s academic interests in soil variability and digital agriculture started at the University of Sydney in the mid 1990’s and have continued through his working life. Over the last 25 years Broughton has been farming near Moree with his wife Natalie and working for John Deere in the Advanced Engineering group. Broughton also cofounded PCT AgCloud and T3RRA with friends following his PhD in soil variability. During these decades, measuring soil quality and seeking to help better manage and preserve soil have been constant themes.

Dr Julie Cattle, Principal Technical Advisor Resource Recovery, NSW Environment Protection Authority

Dr Julie Cattle is the Principal Technical Advisor Resource Recovery for the NSW Environment Protection Authority. In this role Julie oversees the technical aspects of land applying waste materials in NSW and coordinates research projects with partner organizations. She brings soil science expertise to distinguish bona fide recovery of waste as a soil amendment from broad acre waste disposal. Julie also worked for the EPA’s Science Branch on forensic analysis of environmental samples. Prior to this she worked for GHD as a contaminated sites consultant. Julie spent a year in France working for the Institute National Recherche Agronomie (INRA) Orléans researching the influence of redox potential on the mobility of trace elements in a seasonally saturated soil. She completed her BSc (Hons) and PhD in Soil Science at The University of Sydney studying Pb contamination of urban soil.

Sandra Evangelista, PhD Candidate, University of Sydney

Sandra Evangelista graduated with a BScAgr with First Class Honours in 2019 from the University of Sydney. She enjoyed working as a berry agronomist in the Northern Rivers and as a mushroom harvest team lead in Western Sydney before commencing her PhD in 2022, from which she is expected to graduate later this year. Her research focuses on quantifying Soil Security as part of a larger collaborative project titled ‘A Calculable Approach to Securing Australia’s Soil’, funded by the Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship. She is currently a member of the secretariat for Aroura, the Global Soil Security Think Tank.

Dr Uta Stockmann, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Agriculture and Food

Dr Uta Stockmann is Team Leader of Prediction and Insight with CSIRO Agriculture and Food based in Canberra. She joined CSIRO in 2018, and prior worked as a Lecturer and Researcher in Soil landscape modelling at the University of Sydney. She is originally from Germany and completed a Masters level degree in the natural sciences before completing a PhD in Soil Science with the University of Sydney. Throughout her career, Dr Stockmann has examined the challenge of understanding the complex dynamics and the functioning of soil systems. Her fields of speciality include quantitative pedology, proximal soil sensing and digital soil mapping. Her current research interests comprise of using novel proximal soil sensing technologies to support rapid and cost-effective assessment of soil condition and function to improve i) decision-making in agriculture, ii) soil health assessments iii) natural resources accounting, iv) and land suitability assessments. Currently, Dr Stockmann is leading ACIAR funded work that contributes towards building soil resilience and adaptation to support sustainable agriculture in the South Pacific region amidst climate change; and is leading work under the DCCEEW funded National Soil Carbon Innovation Challenge to improve uptake of soil condition and function accounting and monitoring to meet sustainability goals in the agricultural sector.

NOTE: we are still accepting late registrations however our catering has been finalised so we can no longer accommodate special dietary requirements. Our canape selection includes vegetarian options.