Mechelle Owen

Mechelle Owen is a Senior Research Officer at The University of Western Australia's School of Agriculture and Environment. She holds a B.Bus (Agric) from Curtin University and a PhD from the University of Western Australia. Her primary research focuses on herbicide-resistant weed populations in Western Australian cropping regions, including surveys on weed distribution, seed dormancy in annual ryegrass, and glyphosate resistance characterization.

Education:

• B.Business Agriculture (Hons), Curtin University, Muresk Institute (1995)
• PhD, University of Western Australia

Research interests include herbicide resistance mechanisms, weed seed contamination in crops, and integrated weed management strategies. Her work involves collaboration with industry partners like the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).

Grants and Projects:

• 2024-2028: Herbicide resistance status of grain and cotton cropping regions (GRDC)
• 2020-2024: Determining herbicide resistance incidence in Australian grain cropping (GRDC)

Labs/Teams: Active at the Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative (WAHRI), contributing to field surveys and molecular characterization of resistant weed populations.