The Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Josh Mylne to the role of Deputy Director.
Most recently appointed to The University of Western Australia’s School of Molecular Sciences, Professor Mylne brings extensive academic and research experience to CCDM and has earned an impressive list of achievements, publication, and awards.
In his new position Professor Mylne will help lead the execution of research programs and policy that align with and support the strategic research objectives of the CCDM, a co-investment between the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and Curtin University.
In announcing Professor Mylne’s appointment, CCDM Director, Professor Mark Gibberd, said he is delighted to have secured a candidate of such high calibre to be a part of the CCDM leadership team
“Josh shares a passion and understanding for the importance of working from detailed molecular sciences through to adoptable industry outcomes, and brings new and exciting perspectives to the Centre,” Professor Gibberd said.
The CCDM Deputy Director’s role is a strategic appointment by Curtin University to support the expanding role of CCDM delivering high value industry outcomes for Australian agriculture.
The CCDM now has more than 80 staff, originating from 23 different countries. However, Professor Mylne won’t have to travel far and will maintain his extensive connections with UWA’s School of Molecular Science and the Centre for Plant Energy Biology.
“Collectively, this new position and Josh’s appointment will add long term strength to agricultural research capability in Western Australia,” Professor Gibberd explained.
Professor Mylne obtained his Ph.D. in 2002 and has since published 68 papers in journals that include Nature, Science, Current Biology, PNAS, Genes & Development and corresponded articles to journals including Nature Chemical Biology, JBC, Angewandte Chemie, New Phytologist, Molecular Biology & Evolution, Chemistry & Biology, Plant Cell, Plant Journal, ACS Chemical Biology and eLife.
Professor Mylne founded his first lab with an ARC Future Fellowship (2013-2016) in UWA’s School of Molecular Sciences with an affiliation to the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology. He was awarded tenure at UWA in 2017 and promoted to Associate Professor in early 2018.
He has held a prestigious ARC QEII Fellowship (2008-2012), was the inaugural IMB John S. Mattick Fellow (2010-2012), won the 2012 Peter Goldacre Medal, was a 2014 Feinberg Foundation Visiting Fellow to the Weizmann Institute in Israel and a 2018 Fulbright Professional Scholar at the University of Minnesota.
“I’m excited to join the CCDM and Curtin University where I hope to bring my experiences and learn from the researchers there to expand the CCDM collaborative network locally, nationally and internationally,” Professor Mylne said.
GRDC General Manager – Genetics and Enabling Technologies, Nicole Jensen, welcomed Professor Mylne’s appointment and said the CCDM continued to be an important area of investment for the GRDC.
“Since its inception in 2014, the CCDM has achieved many important advances that are helping Australian grain growers to combat major pathogens of wheat, barley, canola and pulses,” Dr Jensen said.
“For example, CCDM research has in recent years identified genetic material with broad-spectrum resistance to powdery mildew of barley – which can cause severe levels of disease in crops – and this material has been provided to Australian barley breeders.”
The team at CCDM, GRDC and Curtin University look forward to welcoming Professor Mylne to his new role next month.
