Dr Allan Green: Deputy Chief, CSIRO Plant Industry
Dr Allan Green is Deputy Chief of CSIRO Plant Industry Division and his research focus is on bioengineering of oil crops.
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14 June 2011 | Updated 27 April 2012
Overview
Current activities
Dr Allan Green is Deputy Chief of CSIRO Plant Industry Division.
His main research focus is on plant breeding and genetic engineering techniques to develop improved oilseeds with enhanced human nutritional value and novel industrial uses.
Background
Dr Green began his career as a research scientist in plant genetics with CSIRO Plant Industry in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, in 1975.
Dr Green’s early research pioneered the application of mutation breeding to modify fatty acid composition in oilseeds, and resulted in the development of a new form of linseed called Linola.
Linola was introduced into international commercial production in the early 1990s.
Dr Green subsequently established a larger research team that has been at the forefront of genetic engineering of oilseed quality for over a decade.
The team has applied RNAi gene silencing to develop high-oleic and low-saturate cottonseed and canola oils and was the first group in the world to achieve Docosa-hexaenoic acid (DHA) production in seed oils. DHA is a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid that is favoured for its health benefits.
During 2003 and 2004 Dr Green played a leading role in establishing the Food Futures Flagship program and the CSIRO-GRDC Crop Biofactories Initiative.
Engineered oilseed crops will provide safe, renewable and environmentally-friendly raw materials for the future bio-industrial economy.
Academic qualifications
Dr Green has been awarded a:
- Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from The University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in 1975
- Master of Science in Agriculture also from The University of Sydney, 1980
- Doctor of Philosophy from the Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, in 1986.
Achievements
Dr Green's role with establishing the Food Futures Flagship program and the CSIRO-GRDC Crop Biofactories Initiative were recognised by the 2003 and 2004 One-CSIRO Awards.
His establishment, with Dr Surinder Singh, of a world-class research group involved in metabolic engineering of oil quality was acknowledged through the 2006 CSIRO Go-For-Growth Award.
Dr Green’s career achievements have also been recognised through his election as a Fellow of Australian Institute of Agricultural Science.
See a list of scientific papers published by Dr Green on the next page.
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