Murdoch University agricultural researcher Rajeev Varshney elected to Australian Academy of Science as Fellow

Murdoch University agricultural researcher Rajeev Varshney has been elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in recognition of his expertise in crop genomics, genetics, and pre-breeding.

Professor Varshney serves as a director of the Centre for Crop and Food Innovation, the WA State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre, and is an international chair for Murdoch University’s Agriculture and Food Security.

He specialises in genomics and molecular breeding in agriculture internationally, working to improve understanding in genomic variations in legumes.

Professor Varshney said it was “an honour” for agricultural research contributions to be recognised by his peers.

“I have long admired Australia’s rich agricultural heritage, with pioneers such as William Farrer paving the way for our robust and internationally competitive sector,” he said.

“I’ve also been incredibly fortunate to meet and work with transformative scientists, such as Norman Borlaug and M S Swaminathan.

“Their inspirational efforts to usher in a more sustainable and equitable agricultural sector played a major role in my research focus, which is to deliver innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges facing global food production.”

He described his journey through leading two of WA’s research centres as an “immense privilege”.

“Through the support of our investors, collaborators, my team, and the research leaders at Murdoch University, we’re making significant steps towards the development of climate-resilient, highly productive and more nutritious crops,” he said.

Murdoch University vice chancellor Professor Deeks said the election demonstrated Professor Varshney’s research efforts.

“Professor Varshney represents Murdoch University’s ethos of delivering translational research and his contributions to the field over his relatively short career have been tremendous,” he said.

“As Murdoch University’s only Fellow of the Royal Society and our second elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor Varshney has been an outstanding ambassador of research excellence for the University and Western Australia as a whole.”