Megan is a Senior Lecturer and Mortlock Fellow at the Waite Campus, University of Adelaide. She has extensive knowledge and expertise in plant biology. She is passionate about enhancing food security by improving crop yields in challenging soils, such as those affected by salinity and drought.Salinity affects an estimated 5.7 million hectares of land in Australia, posing significant environmental and agricultural challenges. The area of land affected by salinity will likely be accelerated with climate change. The economic cost associated with saline soils to the Australian farming industry is estimated to be around $1.5 billion annually. Megan's lab group is focused on unravelling the secrets of plants below the ground. Plant roots have a remarkable ability to adapt to stressful conditions like salinity, while continuing to grow. She explores how plant roots respond to these environmental stressors by altering their growth to increase their ability to access nutrients and water in the soil. Her expertise is multi-faceted and spans various disciplines, including root biology, plant physiology, plant biochemistry, molecular biology, and functional genomics.Currently, Megan is working on uncovering the molecular mechanisms that control and regulate root growth in response to salinity using barley as a model cereal crop. By studying barley, she aims to gain valuable information that can be applied to increase salinity tolerance in other vital Australian cereal crops, like wheat, to help reduce the significant financial cost of salinity on grain yield. Megan's expertise in her field extends beyond her research. She actively contributes to the Australian Society of Plant Scientists (ASPS), having served on the committee as a discipline representative and contributed to the establishment of a Gender, Equity and Diversity policy. Her involvement in the society allows her to connect with fellow experts and stay at the forefront of scientific advancements. Passionate about inspiring the next generation of plant and agricultural scientists through her teaching at the University of Adelaide, Megan encourages students to explore the fascinating world of plant science. She firmly believes in the power of education and hopes to nurture a diverse and inclusive community of budding scientists. Megan engages in promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to the wider community through events such as National Science Week. Her contribution to National Science Week was recognised by being the recipient of the ASPS Education and Outreach Award in 2022. She is a strong advocate for Women in STEM and has initiated the Women in Crop Science network at the Waite campus. Megan's innovative approaches to understanding crop root growth in challenging soils and ensuring food security for future generations, has secured over $1.3 million in grant funding from nationally competitive grant programs. She also has several highly cited publications in journals such as The Plant Journal and Journal of Experimental Botany. Megan is a committed researcher and passionate educator in plant science. Her work in understanding root systems and improving crop yields in challenging soils aims to make a significant contribution to agriculture and to a more sustainable future.