Owen Atkin

Professor Owen Atkin is a leading academic at the Australian National University (ANU), serving as Director of the Agrifood Innovation Institute since 2024. He previously directed the ANU node of the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility (2022-2023) and the Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology (2019-2024). A Fellow of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Energy Biology (2014-2021), Atkin has held faculty roles at ANU since 2008 and the University of York (1999-2008). His work bridges plant physiology, climate modeling, and agricultural innovation.

• Education: BSc (Hons) in Botany (1987, ANU), PhD in Plant Science (1993, University of Toronto)

Prof. Atkin’s research focuses on plant metabolic responses to environmental gradients, particularly temperature effects on leaf respiration and photosynthesis. His lab collaborates with global climate modelers to refine terrestrial biosphere models and develops high-throughput screening tools for cereal energy use efficiency. Recent studies explore heat tolerance mechanisms in wheat and rainforest trees, carbon allocation in woody plants, and the role of mitochondrial capacity in C4 photosynthesis.

Scientific awards include the ARC Future Fellowship (2009) and editorial roles at New Phytologist since 2007. His 2025 articles emphasize alpine plant respiration, woody plant carbohydrate dynamics, and nutrient-induced root respiration, reflecting a career-long commitment to understanding plant energy systems in a warming world.

• Grants: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology (CE140100008, 2014-2020), USA DoE Grant (2014-2018), International Wheat Yield Partnership (2016-2019)
• Collaborations: University of Western Australia, UMass Amherst, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Minnesota, and Flinders University
• Labs: Leads the Atkin Group – Plant respiration in a changing world at ANU, integrating biochemical, physiological, and ecological approaches