Profile

Dr Nathalie Piperidis

• Sugar Research Australia

Dr Nathalie Piperidis has dedicated nearly 25 years to unravelling the complex sugarcane genome. A world-leading expert in sugarcane cytogenetics, she also specialises in molecular markers and introgression breeding. After earning her PhD in Genetics and Plant Improvement in France in 2003, she joined Sugar Research Australia in 2005, where she established a globally recognised cytogenetics laboratory in Mackay, Queensland.

Her pioneering methods for characterising whole chromosomes across all sugarcane species have advanced global understanding of the crop. In 2024, she played a pivotal role in the international consortium that published the sugarcane R570 genome in Nature. That same year, she was honoured with the Excellence in Industry Leadership Award at the Women in Technology (WiT) Awards for her outstanding scientific and industry contributions.