Mr John Chapman
Brian Keating is a graduate of the University of Queensland (B Agr Sc 1st Class Hons 1976 and PhD 1981). Brian’s career has focused on the productivity and sustainability of agricultural systems in Australia and sub-Saharan Africa. Brian was a pioneer in the application of simulation models in farming systems research in Africa and Australia. He was a foundation member of the Agricultural Production Systems Unit (APSRU) in 1991 and part of the team who conceived and developed the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) software.
Over the last two decades, Brian has held a number of senior leadership roles in CSIRO, including: Chief of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems (2004-2008), Director of Sustainable Agriculture Flagship (2008-2013) and the member of the CSIRO Executive responsible for Agriculture, Food and Health (2014-2015). Recent international advisory roles have included: Chair of the Science Advisory Panel of AgResearch - New Zealand (2013-2018) and Chair Independent Steering Committee of the CGIAR Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) (2014-2019).
Brian retired from CSIRO in 2016 and alongside continuing professional engagements, he runs a small horticultural farm in northern NSW. Brian is currently a member of the Methods Advisory Committee for the Australian Government’s Clean Energy Regulator and Chair of the Advisory Board of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, QAAFI.
He was recognised as Distinguished Lecturer and Fellow of the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFOST) in 2014. In 2020, he was awarded the Crawford Fund Medal for an Australian who has made lifetime contributions to international agricultural research. In 2022, he is to be honoured with the award of the CM Donald Medal for distinguished lifetime contribution to Australian Agronomy.