Dr Ian Watson

Research Science

https://people.csiro.au/W/I/Ian-Watson

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PRIVATE MAIL BAG
AITKENVALE QLD 4814 AUSTRALIA

Biography

Ian’s research interests can be broadly described as exploring the scale of opportunity for the development of northern Australia and the social, economic, cultural and ecological risks which attend that opportunity. An example of one such project, working in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland was the Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment (NAWRA - https://www.csiro.au/en/Showcase/NAWRA). He currently leads the Northern Agricultural Futures Initiative within CSIRO aimed at increasing the value of primary production from northern Australia through a number of different sectors such as beef, aquaculture, cropping and value adding.

In 2007, Ian joined CSIRO Townsville in Queensland as Program Leader of the Rangelands and Savannas Program and subsequently the Tropical and Arid Systems Program, which had staff at multiple sites across Australia. He was a Group Leader within the Agriculture and Food Business Unit from 2011 to 2020. He was also appointed, in its final stages (2014 to 2017) as Director of the African Food Security Initiative in west, central and east Africa.

Prior to joining CSIRO, Ian was with the Department of Agriculture Western Australia for more than 20 years working with the extensive grazing industry. He has a background in rangeland management and pastoral management, principally in the arid zone. He managed the Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS), inspected pastoral lease conditions and tried to better understand how climate variability and drought affected both the rangeland environment and those people managing the rangelands.

In 2009, Ian shared the Ecological Society of America's 'Sustainability Science Award' for his role in co-authoring a paper that drew lessons from episodes of degradation and recovery in Australian rangelands. He has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Sydney and a Doctor of Philosophy from Macquarie University. His doctoral studies focused on arid zone ecology.

Other Interests

Ian kitefoils in the warm waters off Townsville.

Professional Areas

Fields of Research

Current

Sustainable Agricultural Development (070108)

Former

Environmental Monitoring (050206)

Current Roles

2010 - 2010
Director, Tropical Landscapes Joint Venture
2017 - 2021
Agriculture and Food Business Unit Representative on CSIRO's Indigenous Engagement Implementation Committee
2020 - 2021
Deputy Site Leader, CSIRO Townsville
2021 - current
Member, JCU-CSIRO Collaborative Agreement Operations Committee

Academic Qualifications

1983

BSc in Agr.
University of Sydney
1996

PhD
Macquarie University

Professional Experiences

2011-2020

Group Leader
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences then CSIRO Agriculture and Food
2010-2019

Site Leader, Townsville Site
CSIRO
2007-2011

Research Program Leader
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems then CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences
1985-2007

Rangeland Advisor
Department of Agriculture Western Australia

Achievements and Awards

2009

(Shared) Sustainability Science Award
Ecological Society of America
2015

Agriculture Director's Awards - Integrity
CSIRO

Publications

We have publications by Dr Ian Watson