Adjunct Associate Professor
Jim Smith

Biography

Research theme: Food, Environment and Security
Research discipline: Biogeoscience
Research areas

• 
  Forestry practices and Fe biogeochemistry in a model E Australian coastal catchment
  

Using culture-based and molecular microbial ecological techniques, Dr Smith and his team are investigating biogeochemical controls over iron mobilisation and sequestration in groundwater and associated soils in relation to pine forestry plantation practices in a model coastal catchment.

• 
  Use of novel molecular ecological tools for isolation of new canegrub biocontrol agents
  

In a CRC-SIIB-funded project, Dr Smith is investigating the applicability of a number of rRNA-based molecular microbiological techniques (T-RPLP, D-HPLC, DGGE/TGGE, SSH) for identification of potential novel canegrub biocontrol agents, and occurrence of presumptive scarab pathogens in QLD canegrubs.

• 
  Generation and evaluation of biological internal standards
  

Evaluation of the stability and applicability of GFP-expressing bacterial-standard laboratory type-strains as internal standards in routine, standardised microbiological analysis of food and water using selective-differential media. Determination of variation in commercially-available selective media using precise certified microbiological reference materials (BTF Pty Ltd-Sydney).