Professor Rachel Burton

Research Interests

I am a plant scientist and molecular biologist. I started out working on how starch is made in peas and potatoes but switched over to another polysaccharide, cellulose, when I arrived in Australia. I am passionate about plant cell walls and all the ways that they can be useful to humans. I study the way that the walls are made, how they support and defend the plant they are part of and how they can be pulled apart and influence our daily lives. Plant cell walls can be fermented in the gut, as the vital dietary fibre component of our food, made into clothing and furniture, be fermented into beer or be converted into renewable fuels or bioplastics. They are truly versatile, essential to life on this planet and a fascinating thing to study. Plants, and how we use them, can also have a central role in how we tackle climate change as their products are carbon neutral.

As well as being Head of Department - both Plant Science and then Food - I have been privileged to be a Chief Investigator in two Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence, the first in Plant Cell Walls (2011-2017) and then the CoE in Plant Energy Biology which finished in 2020. Now I am internationally recognised for my expertise in plant cell wall biology, cereal grain quality, seed mucilage biology and biofuel feedstocks and am lucky to receive many invitations to speak at conferences and to visit collaborators all around the world. I am working on some very interesting emerging plant species - sometimes called orphan crops- including Plantago (psyllium), chia, agave (tequila and bioethanol), industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis.

In my professional capacity I am actively engaged in a number of mentoring programs, was a long-term member of the Faculty of Science Gender, Equity and Diversity committee since its inception and am happy to have contributed to the recent shift in attitude across the University, and hopefully now permeating the sector, which is visible at the University of Adelaide as the Dornwell framework (https://www.adelaide.edu.au/gender-equity-diversity/dornwell/ ).

I very much enjoyed being amongst the inaugural cohort of the 30 Superstars of STEM https://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/what-we-do/superstars-of-stem, a scheme run by Science and Technology Australia to provide leadership, media and outreach training to make visible role models for young people, particularly women, to aspire to emulate. Amongst many other benefits this program provided me with an inspiring mentor, a talented mentee, an expanded professional network and the chance to meet many high school students through the outreach component of the scheme.

 I really enjoy communicating my science to the public and demonstrating how what we are doing is actually useful to them. Outreach and education activities are common in my group and everyone is encouraged to join in. Science communication is more an art than a science and is an extremely valuable skill to learn, since often it is necessary to explain the value and relevance of scientific research to diverse audiences. This is most effective when it connects with core emotional values of the audience, rather than bombarding them with impenetrable, jargon-heavy bits of scientific data. I imagine that I am speaking to my bright but non-scientist family members, and this is a good trick to perfect. Links to some of my education, outreach and media portfolio can be found here;

GutWoman’s guide to a healthy gut  http://bit.ly/2rhCZgi

Industrial hemp – now legal for food use in Australia http://bit.ly/2FD7WQF and http://bit.ly/2HRugaY

Psyllium (Plantago) as a novel gluten-free crop for Australia https://ab.co/2HUh5GB and  http://bit.ly/2wcK8DC

Remarkable women in science profile http://bit.ly/2JRgzJQ      

A Pint of Science http://bit.ly/2rhwrOY                                     Follow me on Twitter @porridgepusher

Recent publications of my research include "Dissecting the Genetic Basis for Seed Coat Mucilage Heteroxylan Biosynthesis in Plantago ovata Using Gamma Irradiation and Infrared Spectroscopy" in Frontiers in Plant Science (https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.00326) and "Differences in glycosyltransferase family 61 accompany variation in seed coat mucilage composition in Plantago spp." in Journal of Experimental Botany (https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erw424).

Tequila plant offers fuel for the future

Biofuels have an important role to play in our future, in terms of securing fuel supplies, addressing climate change, and creating new industry in South Australia.

Professor Rachel Burton from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, is exploring a range of potential sources of biofuel. Their research on agave, the desert plant best known for producing tequila, shows that this fast-growing, highly water use efficient plan could be an ideal source of biofuel and other biochemical products in the future. “Bioethanol yields from agave fermentation could rival the most successful biofuel feedstock crops around the world,” says Rachel. “Importantly, it doesn’t compete with food crops, it’s fast growing so the whole plant could be used rather than just harvesting the leaves, and it is up to 10 times more water efficient than some other crop plants.” And this makes it ideal for the broad expanses of arid land in Australia, providing potential for future farming and industry.

Rachel and her team are working with Vircura https://vircura.com/ who have established trial sites of agave and are currently building a tissue culture facility. This will be necessary to provide the many millions of plants to growers that we are expected to need to help support the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel industries.