Professor Gabrielle Persley AM is a senior strategic science leader who has worked with some of the world’s leading agricultural research and development agencies. She is closely associated with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), where she was appointed by the Australian Government as a member of the ACIAR Commission on International Agricultural Research from 2017-2020. Professor Persley spent several years in Washington DC as the Word Bank’s biotechnology advisor and science advisor to the Vice President for Environmentally Sustainable Development.
Currently a Professor at the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability at the University of Queensland, Australia, Persley continues her work with several international research and development agencies, with emphasis on public-private partnerships and innovative ways to develop demand-led approaches in both animal and plant breeding in Africa. She is a senior advisor to the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), with emphasis on animal genetics and health and biosciences. Professor Persley is the Founder and Chair of the Doyle Foundation, Scotland, which advocates the role of science and technology in development, especially in relation to animal health in Africa. Currently, Persley is leading a Doyle Foundation study on Disease Sentinels – the role of animals and wildlife to predict and prevent human disease pandemics.
Professor Persley has a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Queensland, Australia, based on her research conducted in Africa. The University of Queensland awarded Professor Persley the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in 2014 for her distinguished contributions to international science and technology in relation to food security. Professor Persley was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) by the Government of Australia in 2010 for her services to international science in development and livestock health in Africa.