Dr Francesca L Brailsford

Dr Francesca Brailsford is a researcher with experience in nutrient and water dynamics across a range of environments, combining soils research with state-of-the-art imaging and analytical technologies. Currently, Dr Brailsford is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Bioplastics Innovation Hub at Murdoch University as part of the CSIRO-MU Fellowship scheme. Prior to this, Francesca conducted research at the University of Western Australia, to increase knowledge and profitability of cropping on ironstone gravel soils, where she won the UWA School Agriculture and Environment Rising Star award. This work contributed to the development of the recent Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) investment, focused on overcoming constraints to the profitability of cropping systems on ironstone gravel soils within the Southern cropping region of Australia, on which Dr Brailsford was the full-time researcher.

Dr Brailsford completed her BSc in Biochemistry at King’s College London, before returning home to Wales to complete her MSc and PhD at Bangor University. Here she developed expertise in biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in different environments (aquatic and terrestrial) using techniques such as radioisotope tracers, stable isotope tracers and metabolomics approaches. Dr Brailsford recently gained Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy based on her teaching experience.