Plenary speakers
 

Dr. Kisekka is a professor at the University of California, Davis, specializing in hydrologic processes that impact water, nitrogen, and salt balances in agricultural landscapes. His research focuses on optimizing crop production and economic outcomes while minimizing environmental impacts through precision irrigation, agro-hydrological monitoring, and modeling. Over his 12-year career, he has authored or co-authored 106 peer-reviewed articles and led 85 projects as the principal investigator, securing $17 million in grants. Additionally, he has served as a co-Principal Investigator (co-PI) on projects totaling over $20 million, funded by organizations such as the USDA, NSF, and the US-Israel BARD.

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Dr. Kisekka’s significant contributions include establishing a precision irrigation testbed in California’s Central Valley, a first-of-its-kind deep vadose zone monitoring network to track nitrate and salt movement and protect groundwater, and developing a framework that integrates remote sensing, machine learning, and agro-hydrological modeling to improve evapotranspiration estimation. He co-founded the UC Davis Agricultural Water Center of Excellence, focusing on groundwater security for food, people, and the environment. As a lead researcher in the NSF Artificial Intelligence Institute for Next-Generation Food Systems, his work has gained media attention from CNN and CNBC. Dr. Kisekka has earned prestigious accolades, including the 2020 National Excellence in Education Award from the Irrigation Association and the 2022 ASABE Netafim-Microirrigation Award. He has mentored 13 PhD, 5 MSc, and 9 postdoctoral scholars, with many now in academia, government, and industry. He also teaches STEM courses to over 100 students annually. Dr. Kisekka collaborates with Makerere University (ABE) and international partners in China, Italy, Spain, and Israel.

Angelina Siegrist is a Senior Research and Extension Officer with the Sustainable Farms initiative, based out of the Australian National University. Her work focuses on research into the multiple benefits of native biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, with a focus on critically endangered Box Gum Grassy Woodlands across the sheep-wheat belt of south eastern. Angelina is part of the team led by Distinguished Professor David Lindenmayer who have been collecting long-term ecological data on farms for more than 25 years.

Angelina leads the Victorian arm of the project, leading partnerships and research in the region and bringing the project’s research findings to the communities on the ground. She is passionate about ensuring research is shared with landholders and regional NRM practitioners to empower them with science-based data to inform their decision-making around land management practices.

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Angelina has a keen passion for ecology, conserving woodlands and woodland bird communities. She is a strong advocate for the role of private land and landholders in conservation. She believes biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is important not only for conservation outcomes, but also to enhance farmer well being and farm productivity.