Staff Awards July 2007 - June 2008

Every year CSIRO Land and Water scientists win international and national acclaim for the excellence of their work. These awards are further demonstration of our effectiveness in research and its application in industry and the community.

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• Previous years awards -2006-07 | 2005-06 | 2004-05 | 2003-04 | 2002-03

Australian Awards

Professor Shahbaz Khan (Water for a Healthy Country Flagship) and team won the 2007 Land & Water Australia Eureka Prize for Water Research and Innovation for their research into water efficient irrigation in Australia and overseas.

Ms Loren Bardwell (Land and Water) was awarded the Robert K Murphy Research Scholarship to assist the student in their research during the completion of their honours year. Ms Bardwell was also awarded the RACI Prize for academic excellence in analytical chemistry and the Agilent Technologies Prize for the most competent analytical chemist all awarded from the University of Technology, Sydney.

International Awards and Fellowships

Dr Peter Cook (Land and Water) has been chosen as the 2009 Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecturer from the United States-based National Ground Water Association. It is the first time the lectureship has been granted to a researcher outside North America.

Mr Mark Raven (Land and Water) won equal third place in the world in the international Clay Minerals Society’s Reynolds cup for quantitative mineralogical analysis.

Ms Jenny Stauber (Land and Water) was awarded the 2008–09 Bede Morris Fellowship by the Australian Academy of Sciences and the French l’Academie des Sciences de l’Institute de France to travel to France and Spain as part of a project to develop molecular biomarkers to assess contaminant impacts on marine biota.

CSIRO Awards

The CSIRO Medals for Research Achievement

Water for a Healthy Country Flagship – Irrigation Team (Water for a Healthy Country Flagship) for research that has significantly advanced the sustainable management of Australia’s water resources, specifically within the irrigation sector.
Team leader: Dr Shahbaz Khan
Team members:  Dr Akhtar Abbas, Mr Saud Akbar, Professor John Blackwell, Ms Demelza Brand, Dr Siegfried Demuth, Dr Mohsin Hafeez, Mr Ismail Hirsi, Ms Jiaxin Mu, Dr Shahbaz Mushtaq, Dr Zahra Paydar, Mr Tariq Rana, Dr Sarah Ryan, Dr Chris Smith, Mr Murray Smith, Mr Brett Tucker, Dr Emmanuel Xevi and Dr Cui Yuanli.

One-CSIRO Awards

The Partnership Excellence Award was awarded to the Lower Murray Landscape Project Team (Water for a Healthy Country Flagship). This ambitious tri-state partnership has enabled the assessment of the costs, benefits, and trade-offs of alternative landscape futures for the riverine and agricultural landscapes of Australia’s Lower Murray region. The analysis is helping regional agencies and government review and improve their natural resources management plans. This research contributes to the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship.
Team leader: Mr Jeff Connor
Team members: Dr Geoff Barrett, Ms Lorraine Bates, Dr Brett Bryan, Dr Neville Crossman, Dr Rebecca Doble, Dr Amgad Elmahdi, Ms Catherine Johnston, Mr David Kaczan, Mr Darran King, Ms Wendy McIntyre, Dr Wayne Meyer, Mr Trevor Pickett, Dr Sarah Ryan, Mr Matt Stenson, Dr Glen Walker and Dr Enli Wang.

CSIRO Awards – Celebrating 2007 Achievements

Julius Career Awards
The Julius Career Awards are designed to enhance the careers of exceptional early to mid-career scientists. The aim is to develop and attract/retain outstanding scientists with a view to enhancing science quality and reinforce a culture of scientific excellence. The prestigious awards are directed towards exceptional early career scientists who already have significant research experience following the attainment of the PhD. Julius Career awardees receive a grant of a total of $150,000 over three years to contribute towards their professional development. The Award provides opportunities for international research experience and secondments to industry. The Julius Career awardees were: Dr Adam Best; Dr Stephen Cameron; Dr Shane Griffiths; Dr Rachel Hawken; Dr Bruce Mungall; Dr Benjamin Preston; Dr Alex Smajgl; Dr Ben Trevaskis; Dr Steve Wakelin; Dr Scott Watkins; Dr Michelle Watt; and Dr Tim Wooster.

Divisional awards and other awards not included in CSIRO Annual Report

Go for Growth

Dr Peter Cook (Seminal), Dr Sebastien Lamontagne (Significant). Other contributors: Dr Fred Leaney, Dr John Dighton
The team have significantly influenced water management in Australia. It developed very strong links with private industry and university researchers that enabled it to make significant scientific advances in understanding the interaction between groundwater and the ecosystems that depend on it. They effectively communicated these findings and significantly changed the way these systems are managed.

Dr Senthold Asseng (Seminal), Dr Michael Robertson (Seminal), Ms Kathy Wittwer-Schmid (significant)
The team developed methods for site-specific characterisation of the spatial and temporal variation of farm land, and developed management options to improve the overall environmental and economic performance of farms.       

Look Out!!!

Prof Mike Young (Seminal), Dr Wendy Proctor (Significant), Dr M Ejaz Quereshi (Significant), Dr Glyn Wittwer (Seminal
The research team produced a groundbreaking report showing the economic implications of providing water to five million more Australians by 2032.  The report informs and challenges a range of people and industries on the future costs they may face for water and ways in which these costs can be significantly reduced

Service from Science

Dr Trevor Bastow (Seminal), Ms Yasuko Geste (Significant)
For excellent in partnering with international industry to deliver outstanding savings through high-end analytical science

Mr Garry Swan (Seminal), Dr Rochelle O’Hagan (Significant)
The team developed and installed the WRON computing infrastructure and associated scientific visualisation facility from scratch.  This is a major computing facility which has proved fundamental to the delivery of the Prime Minister’s MDB Sustainable Yields study which would not have been able to be delivered without this facility being available. 

Partnership Excellence

Dr Tim McVicar (Seminal), Mr Lingtao Li (Seminal). Mr Tom Van Niel (Seminal), Dr Lu Zhang (Significant). Other contributors: Mr Heinz Buettikofer, Ms Lilian Mulama, Ms Helen Peak, Ms Rose Davis, Mr John Nappo, Ms Jan Mahoney, Mr Ben Leighton, Mr Shane Seaton
For leading the design, development and delivery of the Re-VegIH tool which has been used in developing Chinese national, regional and local policy, and in the implementation of the re-vegetation program in the globally significant high soil erosion areas of the Loess Plateau, China

Dr Yun Chen (Seminal)
Providing building blocks for regional irrigation business partnerships under the CRC for Irrigation Futures System Harmonisation program

HSE Achievement

Mr Glen Dibben (Seminal)
In recognition of his contribution to HSE at Davies Lab, CSIRO Land and Water Townsville

Mr Paul Corrick (Seminal), Mr Robert Miotti (Seminal)
For actions taken to look after an injured staff member

Mr Steve Szarvas (Seminal), Ms Adrienne Gregg (Significant), Ms Athina Massis (Significant). Other contributor: Mr Marc Praulins
In recognition to the contribution of  Health and Safety Representatives to the safe and successful identification and cataloguing of chemicals held on site for transfer or disposal prior to the commencement of major building works at the CSIRO Urrbrae site, Adelaide)