Dr
Kawsar Salam
Research Scientist
My role in the department
Dr Salam works in the crop disease modelling and forecasting group. Her primary responsibility is to develop and validate risk models highlighting the seasonal impacts of diseases in grain crops. This information is used in WA and other states to develop DPIRD disease risk management guides. During the growing season, these guides are produced weekly and published on the DPIRD website, SMS service and alert email service. As a modeller, Dr Salam implements development, validation and calibration of various crop disease models (Blackleg Sporacle, Blackspot Manager, Sclerotinia Apothecia Model, yellow spot -septoria nodorum blotch (YS-SNB) model and wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) model) with Jean Galloway and Dr Art Diggle.
My background
Dr Salam commenced her employment at DPIRD in 2004 as a Technical Officer in crop disease modelling, where she developed a crop disease forecasting system for WA. The system is still in operation and used as a tool to connect and engage the stakeholders in and deliver the weekly risk forecast across Australia during the growing season.
Dr Salam pursued higher studies and earned her PhD in 2010. During this time the agricultural industry faced a critical juncture in understanding why newly released pasture legumes were not being adopted by growers. Through her passion of systems thinking she developed numerous models on the fit of agricultural technologies into the industry.
As a Research Scientist at DPIRD she works on both theoretical and practical applications of National Disease Modelling.
Projects
- Disease epidemiology and management tools for Australian grain growers- GRDC funded project DAW1810
Key Expertise
Meta-analysis, developing decision tools, big data analysis, systems thinking, fitting agricultural technology into the Industry, farming systems, crop disease modelling and forecasting, pasture, and biosecurity modelling and AgroBase (database).
Qualifications
- PhD, Improving the fit of agricultural technology in West Australian Farming Systems and modelling. Curtin University
- MSc, in Animal Nutrition. Bangladesh Agricultural University
- BSc (Hons), Animal Husbandry. Bangladesh Agricultural University
My articles
Thursday, 18 April 2019 - 12:17pm