Dr Viscarra Rossel is a soil scientist at CSIRO Land and Water

Dr Raphael Viscarra Rossel: researching pedometrics and proximal soil sensing

Dr Raphael Viscarra Rossel’s primary research areas include development of novel techniques for measuring, modelling and mapping soil.

• 12 October 2009 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Current activities
• Background 
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements 
• Professional activities

Current activities

Dr Raphael Viscarra Rossel is responsible for developing pedometric and proximal soil sensing techniques at CSIRO Land and Water.

His research aims to develop methodologies to measure, model and map soil using sensors and mathematical and statistical techniques.

Research topics of special interest have included:

• development of multi-sensor systems for rapid in- and ex-situ measurements of soil properties
• the use of proximal and remote sensing data in soil mapping and monitoring frameworks
• the development of national and global soil diffuse reflectance spectral libraries to characterise soil composition and diversity.

Background

Dr Viscarra Rossel was senior research fellow working within the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at The University of Sydney, Australia until 2008.

He worked on development of new technologies and innovative methodologies for proximal soil sensing and the development and use of pedometrics (mathematical and statistical techniques to describe, model and understand soil).

Specifically his research included development of:

• techniques for proximal soil sensing
• high resolution digital soil mapping
• use of chemometric techniques to analyse soil spectra
• precision agriculture.

During 2000–01, Dr Viscarra Rossel undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) in Rennes, France.

Dr Viscarra Rossel joined CSIRO in March 2008.

Academic qualifications

Dr Viscarra Rossel has been awarded a:

• Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Honours) from the University of Sydney in 1995
• Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Sydney in 2001.

Achievements

Dr Viscarra Rossel has published more than 40 book chapters, journal and conference papers, 14 poster papers, three less formal articles and three pieces of software.

Dr Viscarra Rossel and co-authors were awarded best paper in pedometrics in 2003 and 2007 by the International Union of Soil Sciences Commission on Pedometrics.

He has presented his work at 30 national and international conferences, three of them as keynotes.

Professional activities

Dr Viscarra Rossel is a member of the:

• International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS)
• IUSS Working Group on Proximal Soil Sensing (WG-PSS) (Chair)
• Australian Society of Soil Science (Treasurer, NSW Branch)
• British Society of Soil Science.

Read more about CSIRO's research into Australia's soils and landscapes.