Matthew Knowling

Dr Matthew Knowling

Lecturer

School of Agriculture, Food and Wine

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


I am a 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.

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’—what is happening in the vineyard and why, and which management strategies will likely lead to improved vineyard outcomes?

By integrating data and concepts from different disciplines such as agriculture, hydrology and economics, my research has also 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.

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2022 - ongoing 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
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    2012 - 2016 Flinders University Australia PhD
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

 

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2023 Co-Supervisor Creating Digital Twins of Space-Agriculture Systems Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Shu Liang
  • Other Supervision Activities

    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
  • Position: Lecturer
  • Phone: 83137327
  • Email: matthew.knowling@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: Waite
  • Building: Waite Building, floor Ground Floor
  • Room: GS25
  • Org Unit: Agricultural Science

Connect With Me
External Profiles