Robert Henry is currently Professor of Innovation in Agriculture. He was previously, Director of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (May 2010-September 2020), Director of the Centre for Plant Conservation Genetics at Southern Cross University, a centre which he established, Research Director of the Grain Foods Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) and Research Program Leader in the Queensland Agricultural Biotechnology Centre. Professor Henry’s speciality research area is the study of agricultural crops using molecular tools. He is particularly interested in Australian flora and plants of economic and social importance and has conducted research into genome sequencing to capture novel genetic resources for the diversification of food crops and to deliver improved food and energy products. The Australian flora is rich in wild relatives of major crops. Many species with traditional or potential new food uses are also present. Genomics characterization of these species provides improved access to this critical biodiversity for global crop diversification. Study of the variation in the genome of wild plants under natural selection can provide clues as to how we can adapt plants for use in agriculture in response to climate change. Robert Henry develops DNA-based methods for identification of plants. His interests include; sequencing of plant genomes, development of molecular markers for plant breeding and the genetic transformation and gene editing of plants. A major focus is application of DNA analysis technology to the improvement of the quality of crops and agricultural and food products and analysis of wild-plant populations, especially in Australia, to support their conservation and use in agriculture or forestry. His research seeks to improve food and energy security by applying biochemical and molecular tools to the development of improved crop varieties. This research involves analysis of domesticated crops, wild relatives of crop species and potential new crop species. Research aims to define the basis of human selection for quality in food and non-food crops. These traits are critical to satisfying food and energy security because new plant varieties that may have higher yields may not be accepted for production by farmers if they fail to meet consumer expectations of quality and as a result are not marketable. Current research focuses on the major global food crops and the leading current and potential energy crops.
