Director of Murdoch University’s Centre for Crop and Food Innovation Professor Rajeev Varshney has been named one of five recipients of the Royal Society Yusuf Hamied Visiting Fellowship to India.

The global fellowships are awarded each year to outstanding scientists to facilitate collaboration and knowledge exchange with leading institutions in India.

The other beneficiaries this year come from the University of Cambridge, Harvard University and University of Oxford.

Professor Varshney, who was elected to the Royal Society last year, is a renowned expert in plant genetics and genomics and has been instrumental in advancing agricultural research, with a focus on improving crop yields and resilience.  

His work not only contributes to scientific understanding but also to practical solutions that address global food security challenges.

Through the fellowship, Professor Varshney will spend up to 12 weeks in India working alongside some of the brightest minds in the scientific community to foster the exchange of ideas and pave the way for research collaborations between Murdoch University and Indian institutions.

He will visit several leading organisations such as Indian Agricultural Research Institute, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, University of Hyderabad, Osmania University and government offices such as Advisor to Prime Minister of India, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Niti Aayog, etc.  

I am delighted and honoured to receive this prestigious fellowship, which will provide me with a unique opportunity to work with leading groups in India on cutting-edge research that can benefit millions of farmers and consumers in the semi-arid tropics,” Professor Varshney said.

“I look forward to sharing my expertise and experience in plant genomics and systems biology with the above mentioned organizations and learning from their innovative methods and insights."

The fellowship program was launched in 2017 through a generous donation from the Yusuf and Farida Hamied Foundation and promotes excellence in science by bringing the Indian and international scientific communities together to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing humanity.

Dr Yusuf Hamied believes collaboration and knowledge sharing between researchers and innovators is an integral part of scientific innovation. 

“This is why we are delighted to partner with the Royal Society to continue building connections between the Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society and India’s science communities,” he said.

“In order to bring about great scientific discoveries, we must work together, and the work of these esteemed scientists will be vital in achieving this.”

Professor Varshney's selection highlights Murdoch University’s commitment to global research excellence and its role as a hub for scientific innovation, particularly in the lead up to the Third International Wheat Congress in Perth in September.

Hosted by Murdoch University’s Centre for Crop and Food Innovation and the State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre, the congress is an important gathering for the global wheat community, providing a platform for leading experts, researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals to discuss advancements in the field of wheat breeding, genetics, genomics, and agronomy. 

Recently, the CIO Times honored Professor Varshney as Top 5 Rising Business Leaders You Must Follow in 2024 as a cover story.

Learn about the research being done at Murdoch University's Food Futures Institute.