Professor Kerry Walsh
AM; BSc hons (Qld Uni); MSc, PhD (Queens University, Canada)Professor - Sensor Systems
School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences
Institute for Future Farming Systems
361 - 1.22
I have a practical, hands-on, capability, yet an academic perspective on life. I am very grateful for the ‘free’ education I received, and the enjoyable employment I hold, and am quite driven by a concept that I should ‘pay my way’ with society. Specifically, I believe that my R&D effort should result in a gain to society, and that I should provide practically relevant training to undergraduates and postgraduates. I very much enjoy my current position, working in a space involving both commercial and academic outputs. This cv reflects a career focus on R&D until 2007, followed by a period of increased academic governance roles, with a return to an R&D focus from 2015.
Universities Studied At
BSc hons Uni. of Qld. Botany Dept., 1983 (Nitrogen metabolism of Casuarina)
Masters, Queens University, Biology Dept., Canada, 1985 (The effect of low root temperature on C and N assimilation and partitioning in soybean)
PhD, Queens University, Biology Dept., Canada, 1988 (The role of phloem supply to soybean nodule function)
Awards
Member of the Order of Australia (AM) 2023
Australian Near Infrared Spectroscopy 'Tony Blakeney' Award 2022
CQU Vice Chancellors Award for Excellence in Research 2016
CQU OPAL Award for Engaged Research and Innovation 2015
Ministry of Agricultural Development (Government of Nepal, Singh Durbar, Kathmandu) 2014
Lynsey Welsh Award for Innovation in NIR Science 2010
Excellence in Supervision’ Award (CQU Postgraduate Student Organization) 2006
Vice Chancellors' Award for Research (UCQ) 1992
Media Citations
https://www.citrusaustralia.com.au/news/latest-news/handheld-devices-could-determine-brix-levels 2017
https://felixinstruments.com/blog/a-quality-meter-for-the-mango-supply-chain/
https://www.industry.mangoes.net.au/resource-collection/2017/3/19/increasing-australias-appetite-for-mangoes-one-bite-at-a-time
Landline 2020https://iview.abc.net.au/show/landline/series/0/video/RF1904Q006S00
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/australian-mango-industry-association_auto-harvester-demonstration-activity-6988295060593283072-xrHz?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P5fJBoxip4
Universities Australia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TKqCHqSKmw&feature=youtu.be
Previous teaching
Plant Physiology, Foundation Plant Biology, Histotechniques, Technology and Instrumentation, Aquatic Botany
Professional Memberships
Australian Near Infra-red Spectroscopy Group,
International Society for Near Infrared Spectroscopy,
International Society for Horticultural Science
Responsibilities
Radiation Safety Officer
Industry Reports
Walsh, K.B. and
Editor
Associate editor, journal Precision Agriculture (current)
Guest Editor, Special Issue on In-Field Estimation of Fruit Quality and Quantity, Agronomy (completing 2020)
Special Issue of Post Harvest Biology and Technology (2019)
Guest editor for special issue on on Vibrational Spectroscopy for journal Postharvest Biology and Technology (2018)
Feasibility and commercial viability of voluntary carbon standards and methods for farmers (ICG001537)
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 2: Other Public Sector)
Funding Scheme: Department of Innovation, Industry & Science - Innovation Connections
Total Funding: $49,996.00
Reducing Granulation in the Production of Imperial Mandarins (CT19005)
Grant: Contract Research (Category 2: Other Public Sector)
Funding Scheme: Hort Innovation Citrus Fund - through DAF
Total Funding: $4,000.00
Scanning Technologies for Horticultural Packhouses (ST19022)
Grant: Contract Research (Category 3: Industry and Other)
Funding Scheme: Plant and Food Research HIA Funded Project ST19022 2020
Total Funding: $15,000.00
Automating crop estimation and harvest of Calypso mango
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 2: Other Public Sector)
Funding Scheme: Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowships 2019
Total Funding: $180,000.00
Automating crop estimation and harvest: Multiscale monitoring of tree crops (ST19009)
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 1: Aust Competitive Grant)
Funding Scheme: Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited
Total Funding: $939,423.00
Optimising the pyrolysis conditions for biochar feed ingredients and Dicalcium phosphate and products characterization for use in feed additives and composts
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 2: Other Public Sector)
Funding Scheme: Department of Innovation, Industry & Science - Innovation Connections
Total Funding: $28,300.00
Accelerated Thermophillic Aerobic digestion (ATAD) of Poultry Wastes for Rapid composting and Development of Value Added Compost Products
Grant: Contract Research (Category 3: Industry and Other)
Funding Scheme: President Biotech Pty Ltd
Total Funding: $138,328.00
On farm estimation of Calypso fruit quantity and harvest timing
Grant: Contract Research (Category 3: Industry and Other)
Funding Scheme: Perfection Fresh Australia Pty Ltd
Total Funding: $120,000.00
ICG000521 - Performance evaluation of biochar feed additive for cage layers in tropical environments (North Qld)
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 2: Other Public Sector)
Funding Scheme: Department of Innovation,Industry and Science (DIIS)
Total Funding: $99,549.24
Machine vision in agriculture - Early Career Fellowship (ECF) Grant
Grant: Competitive Grant (Internal Grant)
Funding Scheme: CQU Early Career Fellowship (ECF) Grants 2015
Total Funding: $321,490.70
Accelerating Innovation to application of compost and compost technologies in the Great Barrier Reef Catchments
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 2: Other Public Sector)
Funding Scheme: Regional Development Australia Far North Queensland and Torres Strait Inc
Total Funding: $227,273.00
Autonomous Optical Fish Grading (Partner - Australian Reef Fish Trading Co Pty Ltd)
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 2: Other Public Sector)
Funding Scheme: Department of Innovation, Industry & Science - Innovation Connections
Total Funding: $37,174.00
Yr 2 - Technologies in fruit sorting - ICG000007 (Yr 1-RC48923)
Grant: Competitive Grant (Public)
Funding Scheme: Innovation Connections - Discretionary Grants - prev Research Connect & Enterprise Connect
Total Funding: $50,000.00
Technologies in fruit sorting - RC48923
Grant: Contract Research (Public)
Funding Scheme: MAF Oceania Pty Ltd
Total Funding: $49,151.50
Quality standards, refinement and testing: Measuring DM and Brix in ripening Mangoes - MG15002
Grant: Competitive Grant (ACGR)
Funding Scheme: Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited
Total Funding: $0.00
Multi-scale monitoring tools for managing Australian Tree Crops: Industry meets innovation
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 1: Aust Competitive Grant)
Funding Scheme: Rural R&D for Profit programme
Total Funding: $585,000.00
Carbon Smart Fertilizer 'Green Chicken'
Grant: Competitive Grant (Not Specified )
Funding Scheme: Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts, Dept (Qld) - Accelerate Partnerships
Total Funding: $372,000.00
Structures to improve entrepreneurial activity: a case study around citrus producers of Nepal
Grant: Competitive Grant (Not Specified )
Funding Scheme: Public Sector Linkages Program
Total Funding: $241,500.00
Accreditation
I am currently accredited for supervision in the following:
- 3001 Agricultural Biotechnology
- 3002 Agriculture, Land and Farm Management
- 3108 Plant Biology
- 3008 Horticultural Production
At the level of Mentor Supervisor
Current Capacity
Horticultural Production - Horticultural Crop Growth and Development
The core theme in my career has been the application of (non invasive) instrumentation to issues related to plant performance, and in particular in photosynthate transport - assimilate partitioning ([gas exchange], [transducers], [magnetic resonance imaging], [11C for photoassimilate distribution]). Responding to funding opportunities and industry requirement, I have shifted from an original focus on nitrogen fixation. I am particularly proud of my roles leading multidisciplinary work resulting in the association of a phytoplasma with the papaya dieback disorder, and of my involvement in the near infra-spectroscopy (NIRS)-fruit quality assessment project. However, I believe I am also effective when called upon to participate in a secondary role to a project, bringing a new perspective and skills to bear to the problem.
