scigest - Plant & Food Research podcast
Welcome to Scigest - podcast-sized servings of digestible science from Plant & Food Research. Join us as we explore the advancements and impact our scientists are making in food production, including developing new cultivars, innovative new foods, to bioprotection science, AI and technology, and creating sustainable production systems. Listen to our scientists as they share and discuss current research in Aotearoa New Zealand, and beyond in this award-winning podcast collection. Make sure to visit www.plantandfood.com/scigest for even more information on Scigest!
To help you discover the podcast topics and research that interests you, Scigest is split into series, each covering different scientific topics. The series are as follows:
PPF: People|Planet|Food
FTS: From the sea
FTL: From the land
BDIS: Biosecurity, disease and insect science
STK: Science in the kitchen
NT: New technologies
ID: International development
SLFM: Science life for me (Our people)
SMAS: Science movers and shakers
SIS: Starting in science
- Update frequency
- every 14 days
- Episodes
- 177
- Years Active
- 2017 - 2025
Plant elicitors - a vaccine for plants? (BDIS)
Plant elicitors have huge potential to help protect New Zealand crops from disease. Acting much like a vaccine, these elicitors allow plants to defend themselves better against disease. Coming from a…
Thu 24 Oct 2024
Powering up the food system (PPF)
People | Planet | Food - Roger Robson-Williams speaks with Mike Casey, about producing cherries without using fossil fuels and running a charity called Rewiring Aotearoa.
They discuss what it takes t…
Thu 10 Oct 2024
Working with AI (NT)
AI has captured everyone’s attention and clearly has the potential to be a very important tool for our scientists in the future, but there are still a lot of learnings about the benefits and risks of…
Thu 03 Oct 2024
The Climate Action Campus (PPF)
People | Planet | Food - Roger Robson-Williams speaks with Catherine Leeper, a Learning Advisor at Climate Action Campus Ōtautahi, about the importance of empowering rangatahi (young people) to take …
Mon 16 Sep 2024
Anna Kokeny: starting with a solitary bee (SLFM)
Aotearoa New Zealand has many native solitary bees, but not much is known about them. In this Scigest episode, newly-minted podcaster and apiculture scientist James Sainsbury speaks to entomologist A…
Mon 09 Sep 2024
Avoiding planetary boundary overshoot with Kate Meyer (PPF)
People | Planet | Food - Roger Robson-Williams speaks with Kate Meyer, Founder and CEO of the Planetary Accounting Network (PAN). This small not-for-profit organisation from Wānaka is dedicated to tr…
Mon 02 Sep 2024
Beginners guide to gene technologies (NT)
Over the last 25 years, genetic techniques have rapidly evolved. In this episode of Scigest, scientists Blue Plunkett and Dr Revel Drummond provide a brief guide to the latest gene technologies. What…
Sun 18 Aug 2024
Rob Agnew: Changing weather into wine (SLFM)
For nearly 40 years, retiring scientist Rob Agnew has dedicated his career to logging and analysing the changing weather patterns in the Marlborough region. In this episode of Scigest, our new podcas…
Sun 04 Aug 2024
An irresistible virgin redback spider lure (BDIS)
Redback spiders have established populations in Central Otago and Taranaki, posing a threat to human health and taonga native species such as the critically endangered Cromwell chafer beetle.
We talk…
Mon 22 Jul 2024
The future urban consumer - part 2 (SITK)
Join us for the latest insights from a comprehensive global study on consumer preferences, following up on our initial Future Urban Consumer podcast from October last year. Understanding consumer at…
Thu 04 Jul 2024
Exploring agritech with Brendan O’Connell (PPF)
In this episode of People | Planet | Food, Roger Robson-Williams speaks with Brendan O’Connell, Chief Executive of AgritechNZ, to discuss the role of agritech in creating a healthier, fairer, and mor…
Mon 17 Jun 2024
Dion Mundy: new tech for the vine doctor (SLFM)
New technologies are essential in helping scientists and growers combat vine diseases in vineyards. This week, podcaster and data scientist Tom Moore interviews vine doctor Dion Mundy about his lates…
Thu 06 Jun 2024
Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest flume tank (FTS)
Plant & Food Research's Nelson site is home to Aotearoa New Zealand's largest flume tank, an innovative facility that allows scientists to test and develop new technologies in both simulated open oce…
Thu 23 May 2024
Future-Fit: Navigating Sustainability with Martin Rich (PPF)
In this episode of the People | Planet | Food podcast series, host Roger Robson-Williams talks to Martin Rich, a former investment banker turned Chief Executive of the UK’s Future-Fit Foundation. Mar…
Mon 13 May 2024
Food. Who's helping? (PPF)
What would it take to make the global food system healthier, fairer, and more environmentally restorative? Hi, I am Roger Robson-Williams, Chief Sustainability Officer at Plant & Food Research. I am …
Mon 29 Apr 2024
Roger Robson-Williams: A man on a mission (SLFM)
Roger Robson-Williams, Chief Sustainability Officer at Plant & Food Research, joins Scigest podcast host Rebecca Bloomer to discuss his scientific journey and interest in the future prosperity of foo…
Thu 11 Apr 2024
Dr James Sainsbury - Buzzworthy science (SLFM)
Working with bees, and in local body politics means you are always at risk of being stung at some stage, but that hasn’t stopped our latest guest, apiculture scientist Dr James Sainsbury taking up th…
Mon 01 Apr 2024
The New Zealand Food Composition Database (SITK)
Knowing what’s in the food you consume is important – to help with that, scientists at Plant & Food Research are responsible for managing a database containing more than 2,700 foods commonly consumed…
Thu 14 Mar 2024
Mobile aquaculture (FTS)
New Zealand’s ocean space is many times larger than our land area and presents an enormous opportunity to expand into sustainable open ocean aquaculture for finfish and shellfish. In this week’s podc…
Mon 26 Feb 2024
Dr Andrew Allan: A life in genes (SLFM)
Today on Scigest, we speak to Dr Andrew Allan, Principal Scientist at Plant & Food Research and Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. Andy was recently elected…
Thu 08 Feb 2024
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are the property of The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited. This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by eachpod.com.