Assessment of woody biomass residues from sandalwood plantations in northern Australia, Trop Ag
October 22, 2025
The Crawford Fund’s Queensland Committee has again partnered with the TropAg International Agriculture Conference to assist 10 young researchers from developing countries attend and present their science at this international conference which will be held in Brisbane from 11-13 November 2025.
Successful conference scholarship candidates must be an Honours or Postgraduate student from a developing country who is currently studying at a Queensland tertiary institute, and they must be an author or co-author on a submitted TropAg 2025 Conference abstract.
In the lead-up to the conference we will be publishing short blog posts written by the young researchers about their work. Here is the another blog.
By Duc Bui, University of the Sunshine Coast
Duc Bui is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), supported by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor International Scholarship. His research focuses on enhancing the growth, heartwood formation, and oil yield of tropical sandalwood species through improved silvicultural practices, in close collaboration with Australian industry partners.
Duc’s connection with the Crawford Fund began through a scholarship that enabled him to conduct fieldwork in Timor-Leste. There, he examined how environmental, and management factors influence sandalwood development—a formative experience that deepened his commitment to research with real-world impact.
His current work also explores non-destructive methods to assess heartwood and oil content in standing trees, paving the way for more sustainable and efficient management of high-value sandalwood resources. Drawing on his background in forest biomass and carbon modelling and agroforestry system design, Duc aims to integrate tree science with land-use policy and restoration efforts.
Looking ahead, he hopes to apply these advancements across regions where sandalwood holds ecological, cultural, and economic importance, including Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Through his research, Duc seeks to bridge science and practice—supporting sustainable forestry, community livelihoods, and resilient landscapes.
