Professor Alan Robson AM, Vice Chancellor at The University of Western Australia
BAgrSc Melb., PhD W.Aust., FTSE, FACE, FACEL, FAIAS, Hackett Professor of Agriculture

The current review of Australia’s innovation system provides an opportunity to understand better the contribution of universities to Australia’s productivity and competitiveness and to rationalise government support for research and innovation.

Professor Alan Robson AM, Chair of the Group of Eight and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Western Australia, will speak on the need for the review to:

• focus on Australia’s innovation strengths
• emphasise the importance of basic research
• explore new options for assessing research quality
• ensure that public funding for university research reflects its full economic cost.

Website links
www.go8.edu.au
www.uwa.edu.au

Biography
http://www.uwa.edu.au/university/governance/executive/vc

 
Growing up in rural Victoria in a family of farmers and teachers, it seems Professor Alan Robson was destined to become one of the country’s leading agricultural scientists and education figures.
Now both Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia and the Hackett Professor of Agriculture, Professor Robson has held many other distinguished positions, including Foundation Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, Dean of UWA’s Faculty of Agriculture, Deputy Chair, Research Grants Committee of the Australian Research Council and member of the CSIRO Board.

Professor Robson’s expertise has benefited the state enormously, impacting on the prosperity of farming communities and contributing to the continued success of WA’s lucrative grains industry. His efforts have been recognized many times over, notably in being awarded a fellowship at the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 1987, the Australian Medal of Agricultural Science in 1989, and more recently, in his being made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2003, and being presented with the Fiona Stanley Medal in 2006.

WA’s education system has also benefited from Professor Robson’s expertise. In 2001, he chaired the Ministerial Taskforce on Structures, Services and Resources Supporting Government Schools. From 1998 until 2005, Professor Robson was Deputy Chair of the Council of the National Library of Australia. Co-author of four books, he was also Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost of UWA from 1993. He counts his impact on WA’s graduate students and their subsequent contributions to science and agriculture as one of his greatest achievements.

 Thanks to Fleur Bainger for the words.