our team
soil scientists
Richard W. Bell
Emeritus Professor, Murdoch University
(08) 9360 2370
My role
Problem solving, translational research, project management, postgraduate student supervision, partnerships for research in Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, India, Laos and Vietnam
My background
I lead the Land Management group within SoilsWest in a strong portfolio of translational research supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the Soil CRC.
This work has global reach with active collaborative research programmes in Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, India, Laos, and Vietnam. All of these projects are making impacts as well as generating quality peer-reviewed journal articles and PhD completions.
I have helped guide 53 PhDs to completion, and 23 Master’s candidates.
My publications have been cited over 10,850 times (H-index 55; Google Scholar November 4, 2025)
Projects
- Innovative Soil Technologies: Fostering Resilience and Climate-Smart Crop Production in Australia. Led by the University of Adelaide. (Climate Smart Agriculture Program – Partnerships and Innovations)
- Evaluating Novel Approaches for Drought Resilience Through Capitalising on an Established Network of Long-Term Trials. Led by the Soil CRC. (Future Drought Fund Long-term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practices Program)
- Capitalising on Established Field Trials for Ameliorating (Sub) Soil Constraints 4.2.006. (Soil CRC)
- Engineered Carbon-Clay Composite Based Novel Fertilisers to Overcome Nutrient Stratification in Soil. 3.1.007. Led by University of Newcastle. (Soil CRC)
- Understanding Crop Development and Yield Responses to Mitigate High Soil Strength in Australian Soils UOQ2308-006RTX. Led by University of Queensland. (GRDC)
- Change in Soil and Water Dynamics and Supporting Adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Bangladesh SLAM/2022/101. (ACIAR)
- Mitigating Risk and Scaling-Out Profitable Cropping System Intensification Practices in the Salt-Affected Coastal Zones of the Ganges Delta WAC/2019/134. Led by CSIRO. (ACIAR)
- An Initial Analysis of the Levels of Plant Available Silicon in the Western Region. UMU2311-005RTX GRDC (completed)
- Synchrotron Postdoctoral Fellow No. 4: Plants – Novel Foliar Fertilisers and Nutrition Trait Diversity of Grains. (GRDC) (completed)
Key expertise
Nutrient management in rice-based and dryland soils and crops
Development of conservation agriculture for smallholder farms in Bangladesh including mechanised seeding
Soil management to alleviate constraints (low clay content, acidity, nutrients, water repellence, sodicity, waterlogging, salinity) in diverse environments in Australia, South-East Asia and South Asia
Qualifications
PhD (Qld), 1986
BSc Hons1 (UWA), 1975