Internationally renowned scientist Paul Bertsch has been appointed as the new chief of CSIRO Land and Water.
The CSIRO said Professor Bertsch had been chosen from a field of national and international candidates, and he had a track record at the “highest level” in scientific research.
In a statement Bertsch said he was looking forward to heading up the CSIRO division, which was helping solve some of Australia’s biggest problems.
“Soil and water resources are at the nexus of every major global challenge from climate change and food and water security, to biodiversity and the function of natural, managed and built ecosystems,” he said.
“I am looking forward to shaping the scientific response that will help solve these challenges and contribute to a more sustainable future for Australia and the global community.”
Scientists at CSIRO Land and Water are currently working on finding solutions to the increasing scarcity of land and water resources in Australia.
They’re also working on efforts to help increase global food production by 75 per cent using the current area of arable land.
The issues of land degradation, climate change, and population growth underpin their work, which is used by Australian government and business to shape future policies.
Bertsch is currently director of the Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment, and will start in his new role at the CSIRO at the end of February next year.