Dr Vivien Rolland

Vivien (Viv) Rolland is a collaborative plant microimaging & biotechnology expert with a mindset focused on developing cross-discipline solutions to Agrifood and fibre challenges. Currently, Viv investigates how recent advances in microimaging, image analysis and Artificial Intelligence can be used to deliver impact through better varieties, improved animal production and welfare, and safer food.

Viv is the recipient of a Nuffield Fellowship (2023), the ACT Young Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year Award (2022) and a CSIRO Julius Career Award (2019).

With his Nuffield Fellowship, Viv is exploring global innovation in the Agrifood and fibre sector by travelling to Canada, New-Zealand, Zimbabwe, UK, Spain, Italy, and within Australia to visit innovative farms and institutions including UN bodies such as the FAO, and participate in the World Food Forum and the UN Committee on World Food Security.

With his Julius Career Award (2019-2023), he upskilled in computer vision and led the development of two AI-based digital tools to help CSIRO Cotton breeders better select the crops of the future.

Viv also co-designed and co-led the Object Detection activity of the Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence FSP (2019-2023), a large portfolio of ~15 projects and a team of 10 postdocs and ~40 domain experts across 6 BUs to use AI to develop practical solutions across domains and scales - from single-cell organisms to radiogalaxies.

Viv led the Black Mountain microImaging Centre (BMIC) (up until late 2022), which provides expertise, training, and state-of-the art microimaging capabilities to 100+ users, to enable impactful scientific discoveries for Agriculture.
He was also involved in Synthetic Biology efforts to engineer crops to do new things: natural cotton fibres with new stretch properties to partially replace fossil-fuel based synthetics, or plant leaves with increased oil content to support a growing global demand.

Viv is a co-inventor on 2 patents and has co-authored 33 scientific publications (Scopus citations: 912, H-factor=13, Google Scholar citations: 1291, H-factor=14). Viv was Associate Editor for Plant Methods (2021-2023), and he peer-reviews for a range of top-tier journals.