The University of Queensland

Dr. Wei-An (Vivien) Tsai graduated with a Bachelor of Science in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, as well as a Master of Science from the Institute of Plant Biology at National Taiwan University in Taiwan. In 2023, she successfully completed her doctoral studies at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland. Her research during PhD studies aimed to uncover the involvement of small RNA in plant-capsicum chlorosis virus pathosystem under climate change scenarios of elevated temperatures. Additionally, she explored the potential of using RNA-based techniques for managing CaCV. Before joining QAAFI, Wei-An worked at the Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, Ministry of Agriculture in Taiwan. During this period, her research interests centred around plant-induced resistance to viruses and the selection and fermentation of antagonistic bacteria. Post-PhD, Wei-An joined the Mitter group as a postdoctoral researcher for the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund project. Her current focus lies in topical applications of dsRNA for targeting both whitefly and the tomato yellow leaf curl virus.