Sonia Proctor
PhD Candidate
Sonia Proctor commenced her PhD in CeRDI in early 2025. Sonia, a graduate in Earth Science and Environmental Management, has been deeply involved in soil science since joining the Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands in 1989. In the early 1990s, she was part of one of Australia’s pioneering GIS and remote sensing groups, where she developed digital data and maps for GIS applications and conducted soils fieldwork across Victoria for the Department of Agriculture.
Sonia has been instrumental in advancing soil data capture, contributing to the pioneering efforts behind the Victorian Soil Site Database and the Victorian Resources Online website. She also initiated a project to archive historical soil survey and landform records for the Department of Agriculture and the Centre for Land Protection Research, including records from the Soil Conservation Authority.
In response to the 2019-20 bushfires, Sonia undertook a state-wide support role in agricultural recovery. She then supported Regional Soil Coordinators across Australia as part of the National Soils Extension Team while working for Soil Science Australia.
Sonia’s PhD project is entitled "Soil Health and Carbon Management Levers for Farming Systems Optimisation."
Supervisors: Dr Ben Fest (Principal supervisor), Dr Nathan Robinson and Dr Birgita Hansen (Associate supervisors).