Dr Matthew Knowling
Senior Lecturer
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine
College of Science
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
I am a Senior Lecturer and Research Program Lead in Decision Agriculture at The University of Adelaide. My work aims to achieve sustainable agricultural futures. I use computer models and data analytics to help farmers, businesses and policy makers to better manage their resources in the face of uncertainty. I have worked extensively within multidisciplinary teams comprising agronomists, hydrologists, climate scientists, economists and engineers, and led the development of decision support tools that integrate data and concepts from across these various disciplines.
My current research is in Decision Agriculture. A key aspect of my research in this area deals with bridging the gap between data and decisions. There are more and more diverse data streams of different shapes and sizes rapidly becoming available in agriculture, and we now face the problem of how to best use all these data. I use computer models and data analytics to translate diverse data streams into actionable information for decision makers to improve their outcomes.
By integrating data and concepts from different disciplines such as agriculture, hydrology and economics, my research has explored trade-offs between often-competing objectives; resolving these trade-offs is often necessary to solve complex, real-world problems. For example, I have combined optimization algorithms and process-based models to optimize dairy farm outcomes while satisfying ecological river health conditions under a range of risk tolerances.
GRDC Farming Systems South
I lead the Farming Systems South program, a $7.6M flagship investment from GRDC aimed at delivering a better understanding of the drivers of profitability and sustainability in farming systems in southern Australia. The program is innovative in its evaluation of both strategic and tactical decisions, as well as their interactions (e.g. crop sequence diversity and nitrogen application). It also evaluates a broad range of performance metrics beyond productivity (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, demand for chemical inputs) and puts to the test emerging and new farming systems, paving a way to reach a new frontier in water-limited potential for the grains industry. Our program is multi-disciplinary, with key workstreams in agronomy, modelling and economics, working together with a network of 5 local farming systems groups, leading growers and private consultants.
VitiVisor
I recently led the prediction and advisory component of the $5M ‘VitiVisor’ project, funded by Wine Australia and Riverland Wine, involving a partnership of viticulturists, economists, computer scientists and engineers as well as grape growers in the Riverland region of South Australia. My research blended diverse data streams (e.g., plant and soil moisture sensors, financial benchmarks) with our current understanding of grapevine dynamics using innovative forecasting and data assimilation algorithms. This enabled growers an unprecedented level of ‘situational awareness’ of what is happening in the vineyard and why, and which management strategies will likely lead to improved vineyard outcomes.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Senior Lecturer (Decision Agriculture) | University of Adelaide |
| 2022 - 2024 | Lecturer (Decision Agriculture) | University of Adelaide |
| 2020 - 2022 | Postdoctoral Researcher | University of Adelaide |
| 2016 - 2020 | Modelling Scientist | GNS Science |
| 2015 - 2016 | Research Associate | Flinders University |
| 2010 - 2016 | Teaching Assistant | Flinders University |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 - 2016 | Flinders University | Australia | PhD |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Luo, L., Knowling, M. J., Zecchin, A. C., & McDonald, G. K. (2026). Identification of synergies and trade-offs in cropping system performance in southern Australia. Agricultural Systems, 231, 13 pages. |
| 2025 | Leigh, R., Westra, S., Maier, H. R., Knowling, M. J., Culley, S., Daniell, K. A., . . . Brettig, P. (2025). A framework for context-aware climate risk assessments. Journal of Hydrology, 662, 133871. Scopus1 WoS1 |
| 2023 | Liang, S., Rivera-Osorio, K., Burgess, A. J., Kumssa, D. B., Escribà-Gelonch, M., Fisk, I., . . . Hessel, V. (2023). Modeling of Space Crop-Based Dishes for Optimal Nutrient Delivery to Astronauts and Beyond on Earth. ACS Food Science and Technology, 4(1), 104-117. Scopus4 WoS3 |
| 2023 | Nguyen, M., Knowling, M., Tran, N. N., Burgess, A., Fisk, I., Watt, M., . . . Hessel, V. (2023). Space farming: Horticulture systems on spacecraft and outlook to planetary space exploration. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 194, 708-721. Scopus40 WoS32 Europe PMC11 |
| 2023 | Knowling, M. J., Walker, R. R., Pellegrino, A., Edwards, E. J., Westra, S., Collins, C., . . . Bennett, B. (2023). Generalized water production relations through process-based modeling: A viticulture example. Agricultural Water Management, 280, 12 pages. Scopus6 WoS6 |
| 2023 | Chambers, L. A., Hemmings, B., Cox, S. C., Moore, C., Knowling, M. J., Hayley, K., . . . Levy, R. (2023). Quantifying uncertainty in the temporal disposition of groundwater inundation under sea level rise projections. Frontiers in Earth Science, 11, 17 pages. Scopus9 WoS8 |
| 2023 | Knowling, M. J., White, J. T., Grigg, D., Collins, C., Westra, S., Walker, R. R., . . . Alzraiee, A. (2023). Operationalizing crop model data assimilation for improved on-farm situational awareness. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 338, 16 pages. Scopus5 WoS4 |
| 2022 | White, J. T., Knowling, M. J., Fienen, M. N., Siade, A., Rea, O., & Martinez, G. (2022). A model-independent tool for evolutionary constrained multi-objective optimization under uncertainty. Environmental Modelling and Software, 149, 1-12. Scopus17 WoS14 |
| 2022 | Alzraiee, A. H., White, J. T., Knowling, M. J., Hunt, R. J., & Fienen, M. N. (2022). A scalable model-independent iterative data assimilation tool for sequential and batch estimation of high dimensional model parameters and states. Environmental Modelling and Software, 150, 1-13. Scopus5 WoS5 |
| 2022 | Hessel, V., Liang, S., Tran, N. N., Escribà-Gelonch, M., Zeckovic, O., Knowling, M., . . . Burgess, A. (2022). Eustress in Space: Opportunities for Plant Stressors Beyond the Earth Ecosystem. Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, 9, 1-22. Scopus15 WoS15 |
| 2022 | Markovich, K. H., White, J. T., & Knowling, M. J. (2022). Sequential and batch data assimilation approaches to cope with groundwater model error: An empirical evaluation. Environmental Modelling and Software, 156, 105498. Scopus7 WoS7 |
| 2021 | White, J. T., Hemmings, B., Fienen, M. N., & Knowling, M. J. (2021). Towards improved environmental modeling outcomes: Enabling low-cost access to high-dimensional, geostatistical-based decision-support analyses. Environmental Modelling and Software, 139, 105022. Scopus26 WoS23 |
| 2021 | Knowling, M. J., Bennett, B., Ostendorf, B., Westra, S., Walker, R. R., Pellegrino, A., . . . Grigg, D. (2021). Bridging the gap between data and decisions: A review of process-based models for viticulture. Agricultural Systems, 193, 1-13. Scopus22 WoS22 |
| 2020 | Knowling, M. J., White, J. T., Moore, C. R., Rakowski, P., & Hayley, K. (2020). On the assimilation of environmental tracer observations for model-based decision support. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 24(4), 1677-1689. Scopus21 WoS20 |
| 2020 | Partington, D., Knowling, M. J., Simmons, C. T., Cook, P. G., Xie, Y., Iwanaga, T., & Bouchez, C. (2020). Worth of hydraulic and water chemistry observation data in terms of the reliability of surface water-groundwater exchange flux predictions under varied flow conditions. Journal of Hydrology, 590, 17 pages. Scopus30 WoS29 |
| 2020 | Hemmings, B., Knowling, M. J., & Moore, C. R. (2020). Early Uncertainty Quantification for an Improved Decision Support Modeling Workflow: A Streamflow Reliability and Water Quality Example. Frontiers in Earth Science, 8, 22 pages. Scopus11 WoS10 |
| 2020 | White, J. T., Foster, L. K., Fienen, M. N., Knowling, M. J., Hemmings, B., & Winterle, J. R. (2020). Toward Reproducible Environmental Modeling for Decision Support: A Worked Example. Frontiers in Earth Science, 8, 11 pages. Scopus36 WoS27 |
| 2020 | Knowling, M. J., White, J. T., McDonald, G. W., Kim, J. H., Moore, C. R., & Hemmings, B. (2020). Disentangling environmental and economic contributions to hydro-economic model output uncertainty: An example in the context of land-use change impact assessment. Environmental Modelling and Software, 127, 13 pages. Scopus15 WoS12 |
| 2020 | White, J. T., Knowling, M. J., Fienen, M. N., Feinstein, D. T., McDonald, G. W., & Moore, C. R. (2020). A non-intrusive approach for efficient stochastic emulation and optimization of model-based nitrate-loading management decision support. Environmental Modelling and Software, 126, 104657-1-104657-11. Scopus12 WoS12 |
| 2020 | White, J. T., Knowling, M. J., & Moore, C. R. (2020). Consequences of Groundwater-Model Vertical Discretization in Risk-Based Decision-Making. Groundwater, 58(5), 695-709. Scopus17 WoS13 Europe PMC2 |
| 2019 | Knowling, M. J., White, J. T., & Moore, C. R. (2019). Role of model parameterization in risk-based decision support: An empirical exploration. Advances in Water Resources, 128, 59-73. Scopus38 WoS37 |
| 2017 | Knowling, M. J., & Werner, A. D. (2017). Transient recharge estimability through field-scale groundwater model calibration. Groundwater, 55(6), 827-840. Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC2 |
| 2016 | Knowling, M. J., & Werner, A. D. (2016). Estimability of recharge through groundwater model calibration: insights from a field-scale steady-state example. Journal of Hydrology, 540, 973-987. Scopus29 WoS28 |
| 2015 | Knowling, M. J., Werner, A. D., & Herckenrath, D. (2015). Quantifying climate and pumping contributions to aquifer depletion using a highly parameterised groundwater model: Uley South Basin (South Australia). Journal of Hydrology, 523, 515-530. Scopus28 WoS27 |
| 2013 | Liggett, J. E., Knowling, M. J., Werner, A. D., & Simmons, C. T. (2013). On the implementation of the surface conductance approach using a block-centred surface-subsurface hydrology model. Journal of Hydrology, 496, 1-8. Scopus5 WoS5 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Maier, H. R., Westra, S., Nathan, R., Culley, S., Armstrong, M., Horne, A., . . . Bailey, J. (2024). Engineering 101: Why Do We Ignore Basic Engineering Principles When Dealing With Climate Change?. In Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium Hwrs 2024 (pp. 134-137). |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Knowling, M., Westra, S., Bennett, B., Ostendorf, B., Walker, R., Pellegrino, A., . . . Pagay, V. (2021). The ‘cause and effect’ of water decisions: Generalizing water production functions for viticulture through biophysical simulation. Poster session presented at the meeting of 24th International Conference on Modelling and Simulation. Sydney, Australia: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand Inc. |
| 2021 | Leigh, R., Knowling, M., Westra, S., Bennett, B., Zecchin, A., Maier, H., . . . Devanand, A. (2021). A multi-modelling framework to stress-test water resource systems under change. Poster session presented at the meeting of 24th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation (MODSIM2021) Book of Abstracts. Sydney, Australia: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand Inc.. |
| 2021 | Knowling, M., White, J. T., Collins, C., Grigg, D., Westra, S., Ostendorf, B., . . . Pagay, V. (2021). Real-time ensemble assimilation of image-based canopy data into a process-based model for improved vineyard forecasting, situational awareness and decision-making. Poster session presented at the meeting of https://www.mssanz.org.au/modsim2021/documents/MODSIM2021_BookofAbstracts.pdf. Sydney, Australia. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Dumbrell, N., O'Connor, P., Matthews, K., Johns, C., Maier, H., Umberger, W., . . . Cavagnaro, T. (2022). Carbon valorisation : Achieving a carbon neutral farming future in South Australia. University of Adelaide. |
| 2022 | Westra, S., Leigh, R., Knowling, M., Beh, E., Devanand, A., Thyer, M., . . . McInerney, D. (2022). Assessment of current and future water security in the Barossa and Eden Valleys. |
| Project title | Funding body | Duration | Investment | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise choice and sequence strategies that drive sustainable and profitable southern Australian farming systems | Grains Research and Development Corporation | 2023-2027 | $7.6M | Principal Investigator |
I coordinate and teach into the following courses:
- Agricultural Systems I (AGRIC 1510WT)
- Professional Skills in Agriculture III (AGRIC 3500WT)
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Transition towards circular economy in Australian agri-food supply chains | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Stephanie Yolanda Bayancela Briones |
| 2025 | Principal Supervisor | A Stochastic Framework for Quantifying and Reducing Uncertainty in Crop Model Predictions through Bayesian Inference and Model Error Diagnosis | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Haochi Wang |
| 2023 | Co-Supervisor | Policy evaluation using optimization analysis: A case study of sugar self-sufficiency in Indonesia | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mrs Zaura Fadhliani |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 - 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Creating Digital Twins for Space-Agriculture Systems | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Shu Liang |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Location | Program | Supervision Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 - 2018 | Co-Supervisor | Using predictive uncertainty analysis to optimise data acquisition for stream depletion and land-use change | GNS Science (New Zealand) | - | Master | Full Time | Tess op den Kelder |
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