Dr Genevieve OW

As Senior Assistant Director at the Department of Research Masterplanning, Dr Genevieve Ow is responsible for the conceptualisation and planning for research programmes through literature review and stakeholder engagement.

Dr Ow also carries out research with a focus on three related themes in plant physiological ecology. The first involves the physiology of plant performance under field conditions – addressing the internal and external constraints on plant resource acquisition in response to environmental variations. The second is urban horticulture and arboriculture with a focus on the varied roles on improving plant growth and development in an urbanised environment. Thirdly, Dr Ow leverages on innovation and technologies to provide new mechanistic insights into tree and root health through remote sensing techniques.

On food security/resilience, she conducts research on the genetics and breeding of vegetables to develop varieties that are climate- and resource-resilient.

Dr Ow is a Member of the New Zealand Society of Plant Biologists. She was with the National Parks Board (NParks) at the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology for 14 years working on research projects relating to horticulture and arboriculture and was with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) for 2 years on research planning.