Andy Whiteley

I received my PhD in Marine Biology in 1995 and my first post-doctoral position was at Newcastle University where I conducted research in both the medical and agricultural areas in the emerging field of molecular biology. Molecular biology for use in environmental applications was in its infancy at this time and I chose to move from marine biology to medical schools to learn these skills that I would later apply to the environment. Armed with some serious molecular biological skills, I moved in 1998 to take up a post at the Natural Environment Research Council’s laboratory in Oxford. I worked on, and developed, a fantastic portfolio of environmental molecular ecology projects, including developing the first chromosomally stable GM biosensors for heavy industry, mapping microbial distributions at whole country scales and using stable isotope technology to examine what bacteria are out there in the environment and what they were actually doing. I worked with ecologists, physicists, bio-geochemists, modellers and industrialists in the ocean, in soils, in the arctic and even subterranean caves. These experiences really ignited my passion for cross discipline work and innovation in the way we apply our science to solve major problems facing humanity. In 2012 I was awarded the WA state’s 10th Premier’s Fellowship and arrived in WA to examine soil-plant interactions and how they apply to rehabilitation, agriculture and conservation. At UWA, I involved the public to a much greater degree in our research, through initiatives such as Citizen Science and STEM outreach and developing core science research which focuses on bringing molecular biology based ‘horizon’ technologies to the commercial market for routine use in the next 3-5 decades. In 2020, I was appointed National Research Director CSIRO for Industry Environments.