Please note: This is an invitation-only event. Contact the College for the access code.

About the event

Join us for the inaugural Helen McBride Annual Lecture, welcoming back to the College distinguished alumna Professor Ruth Dill-Macky (1981 – 1983) for a powerful keynote address on global food security and the future of agriculture.

Based at the University of Minnesota, Professor Dill-Macky is a world leader in plant pathology. Her work on cereal crop diseases – including Fusarium Head Blight and Bacterial Leaf Streak of wheat – plays a critical role in protecting the world’s food supply. In addition to her role as a University Professor, she currently serves as Co-Chair of the United States Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative.

In her keynote address, Microscopic Challenges, Global Impact: Defending the World’s Cereal Crops against Microbial Adversaries, Professor Dill-Macky will explore: the ongoing threat that microbes pose to food production; the cooperative approach used to understand and control plant diseases; and the importance of mentoring the next generation of researchers.

Invisible threats. Global consequences. Discover why this fight matters to us all.

Event summary

Date: Wednesday 24 September 2025
Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Venue: May Hancock Auditorium, The Women's College, College Road, St Lucia
Dress: Business attire
Registrations close at 10:00am on Wednesday 17 September 2025, unless booked out prior

Additional information

By taking part in this event, you grant The Women’s College full rights to use the images resulting from the photography/video filming, and any reproductions or adaptations of the images for promotional purposes. This might include (but is not limited to), the right to use them in their printed and online publicity and social media. If you do not wish to be photographed, please contact the event organiser at admin@womens.uq.edu.au.