He uri ahau no te waka o Tainui, Ko Waikato te iwi, Ko Ngaati Whaawhaakia te hapuu. My primary role is co-lead tangata whenua for our Authentic Taonga Foods Direction that seeks to enable research to support the aspirations of our Māori partners with taonga foods and bio-based interests. I am also co-lead for He kai te rongoā programme with interests in functional health and wellness benefits of taonga herbal remedies like rongoā (Māori herbal remedies) through indigenous-led frameworks and science driven tools. I hold a PhD in plant molecular biology from the University of Queensland with a background in plant molecular biology, transcriptomics, plant model systems, with a Grad Cert in research commercialisation. I also led a large gene expression study to better understand pineapple fruit ripening and the development of molecular tools to benefit both research and industry. During post-doc term my research interests evolved to understanding the molecular modes of action of rongoā with functional health benefits for metabolic conditions like type II diabetes, while also advocating the preservation of local mātauranga knowledge connected to rongoā.

• Orcid profile

  Research history and publications