I was born in 1962 in Killarney, a small rural township of 900 people on the Darling Downs in Queensland. My father was the local pharmacist and my mother a teacher at the local public school. I was the youngest of four children in a very close and supportive family which no doubt provided the stable foundation to guide, encourage and build my self-confidence. It was a carefree country childhood at a small school where involvement in all sporting and social activities wasn’t just encouraged, it was necessary, or we couldn’t field teams against larger regional towns! Consequently, joining in and contributing to sporting and social events became and remains automatic for me. Although I wasn’t on a farm myself, an invitation to work on a friend’s farm ignited a love and interest in farming that has persisted.

At the age of 13, we moved to the larger coastal town of Nambour where the much larger public school with 1600 students offered agriculture as a course, and the school also had a farm. My father moved us onto a small rural acreage where I was able to pursue my agricultural interests further with the purchase of chickens and cows for various school projects. My “herd” of two cows were milked by hand each day before and after school, which perhaps explains why I didn’t major in dairying. Throughout this period at high school, I returned to work on the farm in my hometown during school holidays building practical skills and a deeper understanding of rural communities. My most enjoyable subjects through high school were Biology and English and together with a passion for agriculture and to work outdoors, Agricultural Science seemed the obvious choice. The coastal location also ignited my lifelong passion for surfing.

At the age of 17, I left home to enrol in Agricultural Science at the University of Queensland in the capital city of Brisbane, living in a co-ed residential college for 3 years and moving out into a share-house in the final year. I revelled in the social, sporting and educational opportunities and experiences at university and my grades improved over time as we specialised into areas of greater interest – in my case crop and soil science. Graduating with 1st class honours my initial desire to take a job after 4 years of study was re-directed by a senior lecturer who strongly encouraged me to pursue postgraduate opportunities. My breadth of interest, and keen desire to solve real-world problems influenced my choice of PhD project and in hindsight, set the theme for my career – field-based investigations of soil-based constraints to crop productivity that have variable effects across sites and years. My supervisor encouraged me to attend conferences and to build my networks and after 3 years I took 3 months out to travel to Europe and to attend a conference in Sweden - a truly pivotal experience that ignited my passion for travel, built confidence in my work and opened my eyes to the value of collaborative networks which I have continued to build and maintain throughout my career.

After completing my PhD, I made a deliberate decision to move away from Queensland - despite job offers and a blossoming relationship with my now wife (Dr Julianne Lilley) which had begun during our PhDs – in part due to a desire for change and adventure but also to prove myself in a new setting. An initial 3-year contract became a long-term career because I loved it from day 1. My role provided an equal mix of fundamental and applied science, largely field-based (on-farm) in collaboration with leading farmers and advisers, and the opportunity to see the entire cycle from inspiration to impact. Together with this perfect match between the role and my passions, I highlight three major professional influences that impacted and shaped my early career path. Firstly, several inspiring senior mentors who created an exciting and motivating work environment, a focus on rigour and relevance, and encouraged me to advance. Secondly, the network of farmers and advisers who became critical members of my research teams, inspired me with their innovation and determination, and were a constant motivating reminder to remain focussed on impactful outcomes. Thirdly, stimulated earlier as a young PhD student, I took every opportunity to travel and to arrange numerous international visitors and long-term collaborators who have enriched my career and its impact enormously, refreshing and renewing research ideas, building collaborative networks and greatly amplifying what we could have achieved alone.

Julianne and I managed our Brisbane-Canberra relationship long-distance for 4-years while she completed her Postdoc after which she came to Canberra in 1994, we married in 1997 and welcomed Isabelle (2000) and Angela and Minette (twins) in 2003. Loyalty, commitment and respect underpins our relationship which remained strong through the loss of our second daughter Ruby at birth in 2002. Such loss strengthened our resolve to make the most of every day and every opportunity in life, and to value what we have - and the arrival of our healthy twins reminds us that tough times do pass. We have built our own strong and close family, and our girls are now independent young people who all chose a science course at university - biomedical science, neuroscience and environmental science. They each show a true passion for their chosen field, and we are very proud of them.

Two working parents and three small children with no relatives nearby meant some of my previous hobbies especially social sport (volleyball, triathlon, touch football), surfing, bushwalking, travelling with friends, cooking for social dinner parties took a back seat while others such as gardening, home renovation, and keeping animals (guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, dog – in that order), and heavy involvement and duties in kids sport (swimming, soccer, basketball, touch football, snow-skiing) occupied a lot of our time. Annual Easter camping trips with friends over many years has provided a surrogate local extended family network, and trips back to Queensland have maintained our girl’s relationship with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. As soon as they were old enough, we renewed our passion for bushwalking and for travel, with long family trips every second year to New Zealand, Europe, Central Australia, South Africa, Scandinavia while they were still in school. Less social sport these days but long walks and gym sessions to retain fitness, and cooking for friends and socialising has been renewed. Other passions include history, biographies of famous people, archaeology and stand-up comedy. The goal to revisit my guitar skills still eludes me.

Now advanced in my own career, I have actively sought leadership and mentorship roles in Australia and overseas, higher level contributions to science through my roles in the Australian Academy of Science and attracting, training and retaining a new generation of agricultural scientists. One recent example in September 2023 was to win funds to bring two young female scientists (plant breeders) from Ukraine to Australia for an international conference and a tour of national facilities relevant to their studies – a highly rewarding experience given their circumstances at home that was lauded by the Ukrainian Ambassador at a reception held for them in Canberra.

In summary, I am definitely a “people person”, naturally collaborative, energetic and extroverted but considered and empathetic in my dealings with other people. I am reliable, trustworthy and have a strong work ethic with a desire to deliver on my commitments. I am excited personally and professionally by the opportunity afforded me by the Fulbright Distinguished Chair Scholarship.