Matthew Gilliham

Matthew Gilliham is a Professor and Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space (P4S) at the University of Adelaide. He leads a $90M initiative focused on space agriculture, aiming to develop plants resilient to extraterrestrial environments while improving Earth-based sustainability. His primary research interests include crop plant nutrition, stress resilience, salinity tolerance, and GABA signaling mechanisms. Gilliham holds a BSc in Ecology from Lancaster University and a PhD in Plant Physiology from the University of Cambridge.

His career includes roles as Director of the Waite Research Institute, Professor of Crop Molecular Physiology, and leader in multiple ARC-funded projects. Notable achievements include demonstrating wheat salt tolerance improvements via genetic modification (Nature Biotechnology) and discovering GABA's role in plant stress signaling (Nature Communications). Awards include Web of Science Highly Cited Author and SA Tall Poppy Award.

Research spans from genetics to whole-plant physiology, with applications in plant breeding for yield and quality. Key areas include chloride transport, single-cell transport processes, and GABA signaling's impact on drought tolerance. He supervises PhD and postdoctoral researchers, offering scholarships through University of Adelaide programs.

Awards and honors:

• ARC Future Fellowship
• ARC DECRA Fellowship
• ASPB Highly Cited Author
• Australian Society for Plant Scientists Goldacre Award

Labs/Teams:

• Plant Transport and Signalling Laboratory (Waite Campus)
• Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space