Professor Karine Chenu

Researcher biography
Karine Chenu is a Professor at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, and Director of the ARC Research Hub for Engineering Plants to Replace Fossil Carbon. She is an internationally recognised expert in ecophysiology and crop modelling, with a strong focus on improving plant adaptation to climate change and enhancing their potential to produce sustainable bioproducts.
Her research integrates physiology, genetics, and modelling to advance crop design and breeding strategies. This includes uncovering the physiological and genetic basis of key adaptive traits, developing gene-to-phenotype modelling approaches, and exploring innovative combinations of genotypes, environments, and management practices to enhance productivity under changing climates.
Professor Chenu works closely with a wide network of plant breeders, geneticists, biochemists, modellers, and agronomists across national and international collaborations in both public and private sectors. She also represents UQ on the APSIM Initiative Reference Panel, contributing to the ongoing development of the globally adopted APSIM crop modelling platform.