CSIRO appoints two new chiefs

The appointments of new Chiefs to head CSIRO's Divisions of Plant Industry and Energy Technology were announced recently by CSIRO Chief Executive, Dr Geoff Garrett.

Following the retirement of the Plant Industry Division's leader for the past 25 years, Dr Jim Peacock, CSIRO Plant Industry's current Assistant Chief, Dr Jeremy Burdon, will take over as Chief on 15 December this year.

"CSIRO is fortunate to have a person of Dr Burdon's proven experience and abilities on hand to assume the leadership role," Dr Garrett said. "Jeremy has an outstanding track record in research and he has also made important contributions to research management in CSIRO, most recently as a Program Leader and Assistant Chief in the Division of Plant Industry."

Dr Burdon - the Division's Assistant Chief since 2001 - joined CSIRO in 1978 as a Queen Elizabeth II Fellow. His areas of professional interest include plant - microbe interactions, and in particular pathogens of agricultural crops, the use of fungi as biological control agents for invasive weeds and understanding the complexities of the interplay of parasitic and symbiotic interactions in natural systems.

Dr Garrett went on to say, "I am also very pleased to be able to announce that the current Chief Executive Officer of the CRC for Clean Power from Lignite, Dr David Brockway, has accepted the position of Chief of CSIRO Energy Technology."

After completing his PhD in Chemistry at Monash University, Dr Brockway joined the State Electricity Commission Victoria (SECV) in 1980 where, over 13 years, he held both research and management positions covering many aspects of the Commission's research and development effort - particularly in coal science.

He was appointed as SECV's Principal Materials Scientist in 1987 and Manager, Scientific Investigations in 1990 - a position he held until his appointment as CEO of the CRC for Clean Power From Lignite in 1993.

A Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Dr Brockway is also the Managing Director of Generation Technology Research Ltd.

"David's research interests have varied over the last two decades or so and have included electrochemistry and many aspects of coal science including drying, dewatering, combustion and gasification," Dr Garrett said.

"With the launch just last week of CSIRO's new Energy Transformed National Research Flagship, and our new $36M Energy Centre in Newcastle, David's appointment also coincides nicely with major opportunities for the division to grow substantially in the future."

Item provided courtesy of The CSIRO