Dr Stefanelli has worked in horticulture R&D for over 27 years starting at University of Bologna (Italy) where he obtained his bachelor and Master in horticulture, through a PhD in horticulture at Michigan State University (USA), 13 years as research scientist at Agriculture Victoria and currently leads the Fruit & Perennial Crops program at Department  of Primary Industries and Regional Development in WA.

Dario’s major areas of expertise are plant and fruit physiology, bridging pre- and post-harvest with particular emphasis on fruit quality and maturity as well as physiological responses to environmental inputs and crop load. Dario has worked in strict relationship with the Australian horticulture industry, focusing Ag-Tech and on non-destructive sensing technology for practical usage along the entire horticulture value chain.