Staff profile

Dr Michael Robertson is the Acting Director of CSIRO Agriculture and Food. He is based in Perth, Western Australia. His research background is in crop agronomy and simulation modelling, where his work has aimed to analyse and understand broadacre farming systems to inform better management regimes for economic, environmental and social outcomes.

After completing a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Honours), at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand in 1985, he studied crop physiology at University of Queensland, Australia, for his Doctor of Philosophy. Dr Robertson joined CSIRO in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, in the early 1990s to research the environmental limits to yield in sugarcane. He later relocated to Brisbane, where his research focused on the management, simulation and analysis of dryland cropping systems in the sub-tropics. As a member of the Agricultural Production Systems Research Unit, a joint venture involving CSIRO, he was responsible for the oversight of the development of the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) model. In 2005 Dr Robertson relocated to Perth where his research focus has been on dryland farming systems of the Mediterranean zone in Australia. Dr Robertson's research has extended to a number of international activities, primarily on smallholder dryland farming systems in southern Africa and northern China. Since 2009 he has been moving more into research management roles, whilst maintaining active leadership of a number of research projects. Some of these leadership roles have involve a national focus, and have required integration of research capability from a wide range of disciplines and locations across Australia.

As part of his current role he is leading an initiative in ‘digital agriculture’ that aims to bring together agricultural researchers and information and communication technology experts in CSIRO to explore new ways in which digital technologies can improve the way research is conducted and results are delivered to end users.