Dr Danny Llewellyn: leading cotton biotechnology

Dr Danny Llewellyn specialises in cotton biotechnology research.

• 28 March 2006 | Updated 14 October 2011

Overview

• Current activities
• Background
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements

Current activities 

Dr Danny Llewellyn is Sub-Program Leader of Genomics & Plant Development and in that capacity leads CSIRO's research into the application of biotechnology to the improvement of cotton production in Australia.

He has played an important role in developing the insect and herbicide tolerant, genetically modified cotton varieties which currently dominate the cotton industry.

Dr Llewellyn studies the molecular control of cotton fibre development. It is hoped that this research will lead to the development of cotton varieties with improved fibre quality characteristics.

Background 

Dr Llewellyn pioneered the use of transgenic plants in the study of plant gene expression and the improvement of the agronomic performance of crop plants, particularly cotton.

He has been involved in the cloning and analysis of alcohol dehydrogenase and other genes expressed during waterlogging in plants. Dr Llewellyn has also worked in the discovery and analysis of plant haemoglobin genes (some of which are involved in the waterlogging response).

More recently, he has been involved in dissecting the genes that control cotton fibre development. This is being achieved by using genomic techniques to compare gene expression profiles between different cotton genotypes that produce different numbers or types of fibres.

On the applied side, Dr Llewellyn has been actively involved in the discovery and evaluation of the following genes in transgenic cotton plants:

• insect resistance
• herbicide tolerance
• disease tolerance.

He has pioneered the field evaluation of transgenic cotton working closely with researchers, companies and regulatory agencies. 

Academic qualifications

Dr Llewellyn holds the following qualifications: 

• Bachelor of Science with Honours, from the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
• Doctor of Philosophy, also from the Australian National University.

Achievements

Dr Llewellyn is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

Dr Llewellyn has also won numerous awards including:

• Australian Cotton Grower’s Research Association Researcher of the Year, 1996
• CSIRO Chairman’s Medal with Greg Constable, 2003.

See a list of scientific papers published by Dr Llewellyn in his publishing history.