Joanne Simpkins (GCertMgt, MBA) is the Banana Biotechnology Program project manager. With over 20 years of financial and resource management experience, she has been with QUT since 2011, and is currently managing a portfolio of projects including A genome editing platform for vegetatively propagated horticultural crops targeting TR4 in banana funded through Hort Innovations Development of Gene-edited non GM Cavendish bananas with resistance to TR4 funded through Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc, Cavendish bananas with resistance to Fusarium Wilt TR4 funded through CRC-P program and Micronutrient Biofortified Cooking Bananas for East Africa funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her expertise encompasses project governance; managing contractual reporting obligations; budget monitoring; financial resource allocation and monitoring; human resource allocation and workload monitoring; stakeholder engagement and communications. Previously, Ms Simpkins was the Centre Manager, Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, and prior to that the Centre Manager of the Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, managing a project portfolio of ~ 120 projects, and a quantum up to 16M per annum with a small team of 2 project officers.