Dr Caterina Selva
ARC Grant-Funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine
College of Sciences
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
I'm an enthusiastic Developmental Biologist with extensive experience in biotechnology and in the genetic regulation of flower development in Arabidopsis and cereal crops. I have briefly delved into glycobiology to better characterize the cell wall of the fungal pathogen Rhizopus oryzae. Currently, I am applying my skills in molecular biology and microscopy to explore cell biology, development, and flowering in duckweed, the smallest flowering plants on Earth!
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Postdoctoral Researcher | University of Adelaide |
| 2022 - 2024 | Postdoctoral Researcher | Flinders University |
| 2021 - 2022 | Postdoctoral Researcher | University of Adelaide |
| 2019 - 2020 | Research Assistant | University of Adelaide |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Award | Travel award | American Society of Plant Biologists | United States | 930 |
| 2023 | Award | Progetto Donna Award - STEM category | Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Com.It.Es SA | Australia | - |
| 2020 | Award | Dean's Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence | The University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2016 | Scholarship | Australian Government Research Training PhD Scholarship | The University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2016 | Scholarship | ACPFG Supplementary Scholarship | Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics | Australia | - |
| 2015 | Scholarship | Scholarship for Young Promising Students | Università degli Studi di Milano | Italy | - |
| Language | Competency |
|---|---|
| English | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| French | Can read and understand spoken |
| Italian | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| Spanish; Castilian | Can read and understand spoken |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 - 2020 | The University of Adelaide | Australia | PhD - Plant Genetics |
| 2012 - 2014 | Università degli Studi di Milano | Italy | Master's Degree - Molecular Cell Biology |
| 2009 - 2012 | Università degli Studi di Milano | Italy | Bachelor Degree - Biology |
| Date | Title | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Flinders Foundations of University Teaching Program | Flinders University | Australia |
| Date | Title | Institution name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Approved Arrangement Accreditation for AA Accredited Persons | Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry | Australia |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Cao, X., Selva, C., Campbell, J. A., Bulone, V., Luo, X., Praveen, M. A., . . . Raston, C. L. (2026). Vortex fluidic device-driven production of medium-chain free fatty acids for organic cosmetic ingredients. Rsc Sustainability, 4(1), 315-327. Scopus1 WoS1 |
| 2026 | Praveen, M. A., Yu, L., Selva, C., & Bulone, V. (2026). Optimization of ultrasound-assisted natural deep eutectic solvent extraction for the recovery of bioactive polysaccharides and phlorotannins from the brown alga Ecklonia radiata. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 338(Pt 2), 12 pages. |
| 2025 | Praveen, A. M., Yu, L., Selva, C., & Bulone, V. (2025). Optimization of ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction for the recovery of bioactive compounds from the brown alga Ecklonia radiata. Article submitted to Food Research International. |
| 2025 | Selva, C., Yu, L., Schwerdt, J., Kennedy, W., & Bulone, V. (2025). Unravelling cell wall polysaccharide biosynthesis in pathogenic Rhizopus arrhizus. Manuscript in preparation. |
| 2023 | Selva, C., Yang, X., Shirley, N. J., Whitford, R., Baumann, U., & Tucker, M. R. (2023). HvSL1 and HvMADS16 promote stamen identity to restrict multiple ovary formation in barley. Journal of Experimental Botany, 74(17), 5039-5056. Scopus10 WoS10 Europe PMC7 |
| 2022 | Selva, C., Shirley, N., Houston, K., Whitford, R., Baumann, U., Li, G., & Tucker, M. R. (2022). HvLEAFY controls the early stages of floral organ specification and inhibits the formation of multiple ovaries in barley. The Plant Journal, 108(2), 509-527. Scopus22 WoS22 Europe PMC21 |
| 2020 | Selva, C., Riboni, M., Baumann, U., Wurschum, T., Whitford, R., & Tucker, M. R. (2020). Hybrid breeding in wheat: how shaping the floral biology can offer new perspectives. Functional Plant Biology, 47(8), 47-8. Scopus24 WoS24 Europe PMC17 |
| 2019 | Jia, Y., Selva, C., Zhang, Y., Li, B., McFawn, L. A., Broughton, S., . . . Li, C. (2019). Uncovering the evolutionary origin of blue anthocyanins in cereal grains.. The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 101(5), 1057-1074. Scopus38 WoS39 Europe PMC24 |
| 2014 | Mantegazza, O., Gregis, V., Chiara, M., Selva, C., Leo, G., Horner, D. S., & Kater, M. M. (2014). Gene coexpression patterns during early development of the native Arabidopsis reproductive meristem: Novel candidate developmental regulators and patterns of functional redundancy. Plant Journal, 79(5), 861-877. Scopus27 Europe PMC21 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Selva, C. (2024). Duckweed: tiny plants for cosmic discoveries. Poster session presented at the meeting of Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space Conference. Adelaide, Australia. |
| 2023 | Selva, C., Yang, X., Whitford, R., Baumann, U., & Tucker, M. (2023). Establishing a genetic blueprint for floral organ development in barley. Poster session presented at the meeting of International Plant and Animal Genome Conference (PAG). Perth, Australia. |
| 2023 | Selva, C., Yang, X., Whitford, R., Baumann, U., & Tucker, M. (2023). Establishing a genetic blueprint for floral organ development in barley. Poster session presented at the meeting of International Plant and Animal Genome Conference (PAG). Perth, Australia. |
| 2022 | Khatun, A., Selva, C., Schwerdt, J., Betts, N., Yu, L., & Bulone, V. (2022). The plant defensin NaD1 inhibits growth of Phytophthora species by interfering with cell wall structure and calcium transport. Poster session presented at the meeting of 21st Annual Meeting of the Oomycete Molecular Genetics Network. Brno, Czech Republic. |
| 2022 | Khatun, A., Selva, C., Schwerdt, J., Betts, N., Yu, L., & Bulone, V. (2022). The plant defensin NaD1 inhibits growth of Phytophthora species by interfering with cell wall structure and calcium transport. Poster session presented at the meeting of 21st Annual Meeting of the Oomycete Molecular Genetics Network. Brno, Czech Republic. |
| 2021 | Selva, C. (2021). Let's Fight Food Waste. Poster session presented at the meeting of Presented as part of the Australian session in Food for Earth 2021 (FAO & Future Food Institute). |
| 2020 | Selva, C. (2020). Understanding flower development in barley (Hordeum vulgare) through characterisation of mov1 multiovary mutant. Poster session presented at the meeting of Symposium Down Under: Mechanisms controlling plant reproduction. Adelaide, Australia. |
| 2018 | Selva, C., Tucker, M. R., Baumann, U., & Whitford, R. (2018). Floral development in barley: characterization of multiovary mutants. Poster session presented at the meeting of International Congress on Sexual Plant Reproduction. Japan. |
| 2017 | Selva, C., Tucker, M. R., Baumann, U., & Whitford, R. (2017). The benefits of sterility: characterizing multiovary mutants for hybrid seed production. Poster session presented at the meeting of Combined biosciences - ComBio. Australia. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Selva, C. (2020). Understanding flower development in barley (Hordeum vulgare) through characterization of multiovary (mov) mutants and their potential use in hybrid breeding. (PhD Thesis). |
2025 - Principal investigator in the Charlick Endowment Fund funded by The University of Adelaide (AUD $ 12,830).
2023 - Project lead in the Australian Functional Fungi Initiative funded by Bioplatforms Australia (Project Code: FFIRFP1-1, AUD $ 2,200).
2023 - Guest lecturerer at the Glycobiology course at Ocean University (China).
2017 - Mentored the Small Group Discovery Experience in the Foundations in Plant Science course.
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 - 2023 | Co-Supervisor | Targeting Cell Wall Formation in the Oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi for Disease Control | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mrs Amena Khatun |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Location | Program | Supervision Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Principal Supervisor | Investigating the genetic regulation of meristems and the floral transition in duckweed | The University of Adelaide | - | Honours | - | Jorja Lily Hooper |
| 2024 - ongoing | Co-Supervisor | Characterisation of cell wall biosynthetic enzymes in the human fungal pathogen Rhizopus delemar | Flinders University | - | Doctorate | - | Winona Kennedy |
| 2023 - 2024 | Principal Supervisor | Cloning heterologous proteins for the in vitro biochemical characterization of enzymes involved in the synthesis of cell wall polysaccharides | Flinders University | - | Master | - | Allison Obinna |
| 2023 - ongoing | Co-Supervisor | Green technologies for the processing of health promoting bioactives from Australian seaweeds | Flinders University | - | Doctorate | - | Ajanth Praveen Mookkandi |
| 2023 - ongoing | Co-Supervisor | Microbial existence under chemical persistence: analysing the PFAS impact | Flinders University | - | Doctorate | - | Michelle Sims |
| Date | Role | Committee | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - 2026 | Representative | Executive Management Committee | ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space | Australia |
| 2021 - 2022 | Secretary | Association of Italian Researchers in Australasia (ARIA) | n.a. | Australia |
| 2018 - 2019 | Vice-President | Postgraduate Association for Waite Students (PAWS) | The University of Adelaide | Australia |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | Australian Society of Plant Scientists (ASPS) | Australia |
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) | Australia |
| 2021 - 2022 | Member | Genetics Society of AustralAsia (GSA) | Australia |
| 2020 - ongoing | Member | Society for Experimental Biology (SEB) | Australia |
| Date | Topic | Presented at | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 - ongoing | Let's Fight Food Waste | Presented as part of the Australian session in Food for Earth 2021 (FAO & Future Food Institute) | University of Adelaide | Australia |
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