Mike Currie
Kiwifruit Breeding Centre, New Zealand

Mike Currie has been working on kiwifruit for over 40 years in orchards and packhouses, in universities studying horticultural science and in research institutes as a field scientist. Mikes research work has focussed on the development of key orchard management tools such as girdling, pruning, biostimulants and new cultivars. A key focus has been to actively drive the uptake of R&D via concurrent integration of extension, so that technologies and new cultivars can be rapidly deployed into commercial orchards to improve yields, fruit quality and profitability for growers, post-harvest operators and commercial stakeholders. Since 2006, Mike has helped develop and commercialise four female and 10 new male kiwifruit cultivars, including the globally successful cultivar ‘Zesy002’ (Zespri Sun Gold) and the relatively new cultivar ‘Zes008’ (Zespri Ruby Red). Mike continues his work within the newly formed Kiwifruit Breeding Centre, as the head of cultivar evaluation based in Auckland, New Zealand. Ka rapu ahau i te matauranga, mo te oranga mō tātou katoa (Seeking knowledge for the well-being of all our people).

Lukas Fichtl
Hochschule Geisenheim University, Germany

Lukas Fichtl is a young researcher specializing in grapevine physiology and drought stress, with a particular emphasis on the role of rootstocks and root system architecture. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Viticulture and Enology from Geisenheim University (Germany) and an European Master of Science in Viticulture and Enology from Montpellier SupAgro, Bordeaux Science Agro, and Universidade de Lisboa, and has extensive practical winemaking experience in both cool and hot viticultural regions worldwide. Since 2023, he has been a researcher at the Department of General and Organic Viticulture at Geisenheim University, supported by a scholarship from the German Federal Environmental Foundation. His current work includes root system excavations, 3D-Digitizing methods and modelling approaches to predict genotype- and site-specific water availability under field conditions.

Chayce Griffith 

Sponsored by FruitGrowers Charitable Trust

Michigan State University, USA

Chayce Griffith is a 3rd year PhD student at Michigan State University under the advisement of Dr. Todd Einhorn. Since arriving at MSU, he has earned his Master’s and is now earning his Doctorate studying bitter pit in ‘Honeycrisp’ apple. Specifically, his bitter pit research has focused on the effects of plant growth regulators and fruit growth rate on fruit xylem dysfunction and calcium delivery. In 2022 and 2023, Chayce Griffith and Todd Einhorn published reviews of bitter pit research expounding on the role of xylem and plant growth regulators in the disorder. One such review was awarded the U.P Hedrick Award in 2022. Since then, he has presented data to growers around the state of Michigan and researchers around the United States. Chayce currently serves as the president of the ISHS Young Minds Committee, connecting him with other young plant scientists around the world. 

Laura Hillmann

Michigan State University, USA

Laura Hillmann is a 5th year Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University expecting to complete her dissertation in spring 2025. She received her B.Sc. and her M.Sc. in Crop Science at the University of Bonn. She conducted the research component of her M.S. thesis as a visiting scholar at Michigan State University focused on identifying anatomical ‘markers’ for freeze resistance and dormancy release in sour cherry. The focus of her Ph.D. is on the physiology of apple fruit set with an emphasis in developing a fruit set prediction model, termed the Fruitlet Size Distribution Model. She has supported the prediction model with the study of flower position and growth relative to fruitlet carbohydrate status. Laura has received two Michigan State Horticulture Society Industry scholarships for her applied apple physiology work, the Dr. Ruth Allen scholarship to support international studies with Dr. Javier Rodrigo at the ‘CITA’ in Zaragoza, Spain, and was recently awarded the Bukovac Outstanding Graduate Student award. 

Brunella Morandi 

Sponsored by Summerfruit NZ

Alma Mater Studiorum Universita Di Bologna, Italy

Brunella Morandi is associate Professor and Coordinator of the Master Degree on Agricultural Sciences and Technologies at the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences of the University of Bologna. PhD in fruit orchard management, she is author of more than 80 publications in international referenced journals and has joined the scientific and organizing committee of many international symposia. Her research focuses on the effects of the environment on fruit tree physiology with the aim to develop new strategies to improve management practices with a special focus water use efficiency, while maintaining production quality and yields, in conditions of climate change. She is Chair of the COST Action CA21142 “FruitCREWS” and of the EUFRIN Working Group on “Water Relations and Irrigation” and Co-Chair of the Irrigation Working Group of the Italian Society for horticultural Science. She coordinates national and international competitive projects addressing issues related to sustainable fruit production, fruit quality and efficient water use. 

Dr. Ryan Orr

Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Australia

Ryan leads the Mango component of the National Tree Crop Intensification in Horticulture Program and allied projects. This research aims to design future orchard systems based on an improved understanding of orchard design and plant physiology. Ryan is an interdisciplinary horticultural researcher who focuses on bringing together teams of diverse specialists to develop the future of tropical horticultural systems. Ryan is a Senior Horticulturist with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland based in Mareeba, Australia. Originally from Canada he has a BSc. in Chemistry, MSc. in Environmental Science, and PhD focused on banana production systems, soil chemistry, and plant physiology. He has received the National C. G. Stephens Award, the Queensland Soil Science Postgraduate award, and an Australian Science and Innovation Award for Young People. In addition to research, Ryan supports emergency response as a member of a regional disaster response committee and emergency services volunteer scientific officer. 

Jaume Lordan Sanahuja 

IRTA, Spain

Jaume has a PhD in Agronomy at University of Lleida (2014), and has been a fruit tree researcher at IRTA (Catalonia) since June 2018. He is currently working in the development and evaluation of new training systems and rootstocks to optimize their physiological efficiency, tree response to climate change scenarios, as well as crop load management and evaluation of new apple varieties. Previously, he had worked as a postdoctoral associate (2015-2018) at Cornell University (NY) under the supervision of Dr. Terence Robinson, conducting applied research and extension on orchard management and physiology of temperate tree fruit crops. Currently, he is supervising a PhD student with topics related to almond and apple performance and accumulation of chill units under different climate change scenarios.

Francesca Zuffa

ETH Zurich, Switzerland

I studied international horticultural science, and I am completing my doctorate in Plant ecophysiology and genomics at ETH Zurich. My research focuses on plant-environment interactions to enhance crop productivity and resilience to climate change, aiming to improve agroecosystem management and prediction. Using apple trees as a model species, I study how perennial tree crops can adapt to future climate conditions. My work focuses currently on stomatal traits, which regulate gas exchange at the leaf surface. These traits are crucial for water-use efficiency, photosynthesis, temperature regulation, and overall plant environmental plasticity. I also explore how stomatal regulation links to important factors like productivity, fruit quality, soil nutrient uptake, carbohydrate transport, and resource-efficient management practices.