Chengdao Li

Professor Chengdao Li leads crop innovation research at Murdoch University's Centre for Crop and Food Innovation, where he develops advanced breeding technologies including genomic selection and gene-editing approaches. His work established foundational resources for modern barley breeding through leadership in international consortia that decoded the barley reference genome.

Research advances barley genetics for improved malting quality, yield potential, and stress resilience. Commercialized varieties like Baudin transformed Australia's global barley market position through premium quality traits. Current investigations focus on heat stress adaptation, soil-microbe interactions, and pan-genome characterization.

Honored with the Excellence in Agricultural Research Award (2019) and ATSE Fellowship (2021), Dr. Li holds a PhD in Plant Molecular Genetics from University of Adelaide and MSc from Zhejiang University. He directs the Western Crop Genetics Alliance.