Dr Jennifer Gardner

Dr Jennifer Gardner is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine at the University of Adelaide on the Waite Campus. Her broad areas of expertise include wine microbiology, genetic engineering of yeast, in particular to improve yeast fermentation performance, fundamental aspects of yeast metabolism such as filamentation and bioprospecting microbes from nature to select organisms with industrial benefits.

Dr Gardner is involved in a number of current projects., including “New and Improved yeast and bacterial starter cultures, novel attributes, process efficiency and wine distinctiveness”. This project, headed by Professor Vladimir Jiranek and funded by Wine Australia, involves many aspects of examining how to improve the microbiological processes of winemaking. For instance, the impact of juice dilution on alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, bioprospecting of microbes from nature with desirable qualities, such as enhanced aroma profiles, fermentation efficiency, environmental stress tolerance (such as sulphite), useful antimicrobial activities (such as suppression of Brettanomyces growth) and reduction of undesirable metabolites such as acetic acid. It has also includes a preliminary investigation of the impact of phage on malolactic fermentation. Results from this project will lead to an improved understanding and practices involving wine microbes in industry and the potential of novel strains available to the community. More broadly this research will contribute to industry applicable knowledge guiding winemakers to improve wine quality and efficient production.

She is also involved in an ongoing study in collaboration with Associate Professor Ben Binder from the University of Adelaide (Department of Mathematical Sciences) examining yeast filamentation and in particular understanding the switch from bipolar to unipolar growth using mathematical models in an attempt to explain this fundamental behaviour.

Jennifer has also recently joined the team investigating the microbes involved in the production of traditional Aboriginal fermented beverages. This project is in collaboration with ATSI peoples to better understand the microbes inhabiting plant substrates traditionally used for fermentation in an attempt to understand, capture and record important cultural knowledge.

Working within Science for the last twenty-five years, Jennifer has had experience in many fields. This began with Honours at the Hanson Cancer Centre in the genetics of Oncology under the guidance of Professor Tom Gonda and soon followed with studies of the genetics of mammalian sex determination with Professor Peter Koopman at The University of Queensland. Finally she expanded in to microbiology, driven by a passion for wine science and a return to her home state of South Australia. After completing a PhD focusing on genes which influence nitrogen efficiency of yeasts in wine fermentation in 2006 at The University of Adelaide with Professor Vladimir Jiranek, Jennifer’s major projects have involved many aspects of improving winemaking processes involving microbes. Her research has also diversified into the field of microbial interactions in ecology, for instance between yeast and insects examining the traits and benefits to each organism.

Jennifer also has many years of wine industry expertise having worked many vintages including with her family for their own wine brands Adelina Wines, Some Young Punks and VineMind based in the beautiful Clare Valley.