Tina Acuna

Professor Tina Acuna is an academic leader in agricultural science and education at the University of Tasmania's College of Sciences and Engineering. As Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching Performance), she oversees curriculum development and academic standards. She holds a Professorial position in the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture and has held roles from Lecturer (2007) to Associate Professor (2017–2021). Her research focuses on cereal crop physiology in high-rainfall zones, water-use efficiency, and root-soil interactions. She pioneered national Agriculture Learning and Teaching Academic Standards (AgLTAS), endorsed by the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture. Key awards include the 2016 Australian Award for University Teaching and the 2019 Australian Deans of Science Fellowship.

Education: PhD (Agricultural Science), University of Tasmania; Postdoctoral research at CSIRO Plant Industry, International Rice Research Institute, and University of Western Australia. Teaching includes Crop Production and Agronomy units, emphasizing evidence-based pedagogy.

Research highlights include projects on winter canola yield potential, clear polymer film for crop microclimate modification, and drought resistance in Brachiaria grasses. Over 150+ research outputs span agronomy, education, and interdisciplinary STEM curriculum design. Supervised 15+ doctoral/master’s students in areas like precision agriculture, soil management, and crop physiology.

• Grants: $3.2M Horticulture Innovation Australia masterclass project, $5.2M GRDC high-rainfall zone research, $100K ACDS Fellowship for STEM teaching leadership
• Labs/Teams: Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture research group, AgLTAS consortium, SMARTfarm Learning Hub initiative
• Future Work: Expanding CER-STEM framework for curriculum evaluation, climate-smart agriculture technologies