People News

Varshney Elected Fellow of the Royal Society

CSSA member Rajeev Varshney, Murdoch University, has been elected Fellow of the Royal Society. An expert in crop genomics, genetics, molecular breeding, and capacity building in developing countries, Varshney is the third Australian to join the prestigious organization from the field of Agricultural Sciences and Forestry and one of just 13 worldwide.

“I am thrilled to be included with the stalwarts and giants of my field such as Norman Borlaug, M.S. Swaminathan, Jim Peacock, and Gurdev Khush, who have been inspiration and role models not only for me, but all agricultural scientists across the world,” Varshney says.

Varshney is director of Murdoch University’s Centre for Crop and Food Innovation as well as the State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre, and through both, he leads the discovery, development, and delivery of innovative solutions to tackle problems facing global agriculture such as food security in the changing climate. He currently serves as a technical editor for the CSSA journal The Plant Genome and has received awards from the Societies, including CSSA and ASA Fellow, the CSSA International Crop Science Award, and the CSSA Young Crop Scientist Award.

DiTommaso Named Weed Science Society of America Fellow

 

CSSA and ASA member Antonio (Toni) DiTommaso was recently named a Fellow of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA). DiTommaso is a weed science professor and chair of Soil and Crop Sciences at Cornell University where he focuses on the biology, ecology and management of agricultural weeds and invasive plants. He is coauthor of the book Manage Weeds on Your Farm: A Guide to Ecological Strategies and of the second edition of Weeds of the Northeast. He also is editor of the journal Invasive Plant Science and Management. DiTommaso is a past president of the Northeastern Weed Science Society (NEWSS) and has received numerous teaching and advising awards.