The Australian Plant Phenomics Facility (APPF), Australia’s premier national plant phenomics research infrastructure facility, is delighted to announce the appointment of Richard Dickmann as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Mr Dickmann’s appointment coincides with a key milestone in the organisation’s journey to expand and advance its national mission.
The Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) recently committed $60 million in core funding for APPF over the next five years. This investment is expected to be matched by contributions from university partners, state governments and industry to provide total funding of nearly $135 million.
APPF Board Chair, Dr. Ron Sandland, expressed his enthusiasm for Richard’s appointment.
“Following a competitive recruitment process, I am delighted that Richard has accepted this critical role,” he said.
“With APPF entering a period of significant growth, we are excited to have a leader who values collaboration, support for our team, and connecting national infrastructure with innovation to enable research excellence.
“Richard’s hands-on experience and vision make him the ideal leader for our ambitious future.”
Mr Dickmann served on the APPF Advisory Board for four years and has been acting as Interim Executive Director for the past nine months. Originally from rural southwest Victoria, he has had an accomplished national and international career in corporate crop science followed by private consulting and non-executive board roles.
He also has a personal interest in the role of imaging technologies in agriculture, having completed his Masters degree in the satellite mapping of soils.
“I am convinced Australia needs the plant phenotyping infrastructure and expertise delivered by APPF, both to support our agriculture industry and maintain our standing in the scientific world,” Mr Dickmann said.
Dr. Sandland emphasised on behalf of the APPF Board that they are looking forward to expanding APPF into a national network of nine partner nodes and providing a greater diversity of controlled environment and field phenotyping facilities.
Mr Dickmann confirmed his commitment to the vision of a strong, national, cutting-edge plant phenomics facility.
“I am truly excited to be working with the team to leverage APPF’s strengths and drive strategy for the years ahead, and building a plant phenotyping facility that is equal to or better than any in the world,” he said.
“I know we have the team and the partners to make great things happen.”
For further information, please contact:
Belinda Cay
Director | AgCommunicators Communication Team | APPF
M: 0423 295 576
E: belinda@agcommunicators.com.au
This article was originally published by the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility (APPF) on October 23rd 2023.