Scholarships fund researchers’ vision for the future

Westpac Future Leaders Scholar Jessica Harper - Three University of Queensland PhD candidates will receive up to $120,000 each plus leadership training after being named 2021 Westpac Future Leaders Scholars. UQ students Jessie Harper (agricultural science), Annika Luebbe (psychology) and Jacob White (STEMM) are among 17 students to receive the prestigious scholarship. Ms Harper, a PhD Candidate at UQ's School of Agriculture and Food Sciences said she believed improving agriculture in developing countries could lead to positive social change through building the capacity of farmers and scientists. "My goal as a researcher in agriculture is to help ensure global food security, mitigate climate impacts, and importantly, help raise small land-holders out of poverty,' Ms Harper said. "The Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship allows opportunities I did not know were possible. "It provides the opportunity to gain valuable international experience and provides a platform that will help my research have a positive impact in people's lives.' Growing up in rural Queensland on her family's farm instilled a love for agriculture in Ms Harper, which drove her to study a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Honours) at UQ. She said realised the importance of agriculture in alleviating poverty during a university study tour in Indonesia.