Professor
Matthew HarrisonProfile page
Professor
TIA - Research Institute
- ProfessorTIA - Research Institute
- +61 3 6430 4501 (Work)
- Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA), TIA - Research Institute, 3.02 Building S, Newnham Campus, TAS
BIO
Professor Matthew Harrison is an award-winning scientist at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture in Launceston, Australia. Matt is internationally renowned for his work in improving the sustainability of agricultural and land-use systems through the development of innovative solutions to demand-driven problems. His team uses systems thinking to develop skills, technologies and practices aimed at improving food production, enterprise profit, social license to operate and agri-food sustainability. The impact of his work on carbon removals, greenhouse gas emissions, the climate crisis and food security will have enduring benefits for decades to come.
In 2022, Matt’s team was awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Research Medal for distinguished contributions to research of the highest quality, including leadership, innovation and impact, mentoring and early career research development, and community engagement. In 2023, Matt's team was awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Sustainability Award for outstanding internal leadership in climate action, greenhouse gas emissions mitigation and environmental stewardship. The Sustainability Award is presented to staff for leadership enabling the University to act as a lighthouse for the world in what is possible and urgently needed. The Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Medal and Sustainability Award are each the top awards of 3,000 full-time equivalent staff at the University.
In 2023, Matt received the Premier's Tasmanian STEM Researcher of 2023, the highest scientific honor of the State of Tasmania.
Matt is the Director of the Carbon Storage Partnership, a transdisciplinary initiative that is developing inclusive, environmentally-contextualised pathways aimed at progressing the entire Australia livestock sector to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (‘CN30 Initiative’) in a profitable, productive way.
Matt has long engendered a culture of research excellence, as shown by his mentoring and supervision of colleagues, training of the next generation of scientists, and his inclusive approach to leading diverse teams. He has supervised numerous Honours, Masters and PhD scholars to successful completion, and he welcomes enquiries relating to research supervision or collaboration. Matt’s expertise in biophysical, environmental, economic and biological sciences has been sought by government panels, advisory committees and independent corporations at regional, national and international levels.
The knowledge, skills and technologies developed by Matt and co-workers have contributed significantly to the University of Tasmania's rankings as Number 1 globally in Climate Action, and 'well-above world standard' Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) in 'Agriculture, Land and Farm Management' and 'Crop and Pasture Production'.
Matt is an Adjunct Professor at Lanzhou University, Yangtze University and China Agricultural University; these positions being awarded in recognition of long-term and beneficial collaboration with each of the said institutions.
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RECENT AWARDS
2024 Tasmanian Community Achievement Award (semi-finalist), Fonterra Agriculture Award
2024 Nature Communications paper awarded Highly Cited Paper, placed in the top 1% of Agricultural Sciences according to Web of Science (https://www-webofscience-com.ezproxy.utas.edu.au/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:001053836600004)
2023 Premier’s Tasmanian STEM Researcher of the Year, the highest scientific honor in the State of Tasmania. The award recognises global impact, innovation, leadership and engagement of the most esteemed STEM leaders.
2023 Vice-Chancellor's Sustainability Award (TIA Systems Modelling Team) for distinguished contributions in leadership, creation of effective partnerships, impact, mentoring and measurable outcomes delivering on the University's holistic sustainability framework that underpin Sustainable Development Goals. The Award recognises the most outstanding staff member or team in a University comprising some 3,000 staff.
2023 College Sustainability Award (TIA Systems Modelling Team) for outstanding contributions in making the world a more sustainable place, leadership of University efforts in sustainable development, and for impact via adoption of sustainable practices.
2023 South Australian Livestock Research Council (SALRC) Award for Excellence. Nominees are judged on the impact of their work on industry; work above and beyond normal duties; the standing of the nominee in the Australian Livestock industries; the degree to which the nominee has been a change agent; and the degree to which the individual has been an industry leader and mentor.
2023 Tasmanian Community Achievement Awards Finalist for leadership of community engagement enabling beneficial impacts on Tasmanian society.
2023 International Carbon Neutrality Award presented by ‘Sustainability’ journal (second prize) for elite scholarly performance and meritorious achievements in greenhouse gas emissions mitigation and climate change.
2022 'High-End Foreign Expert' Award from Lanzhou University for outstanding innovation, economic development and demand-driven work on the green economy.
2022 Vice-Chancellor's Research Excellence Medal for distinguished contributions to research of the highest quality, including leadership, innovation and impact, mentoring and early career research development and community engagement. The Medal is awarded annually to the most outstanding staff member/s performance.
2022 STEM Excellence Awards Finalist as Premier's Tasmanian STEM Researcher of the Year (top researchers of the State).
2022 College of Sciences and Engineering Research Excellence Award, recognising the outstanding achievements of the TIA Crop Improvement Team, awarded to staff members with the most outstanding research achievements in the College.
2022 Finalist for the Fonterra Australia Agriculture Award, which applauds high-achievers in community engagement who provide society with sustainable agri-food innovations.
2021 Runner-up for APEC ASPIRE Prize presented by the Australian Academy of Science in recognition of commitment to excellence in scientific research evidenced by scholarly publication and cooperation with APEC member economies.
2020 College of Science and Engineering Service Excellence Commendation.
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A LIFETIME OF LEARNING LEADS TO A LOFTY GOAL
A team of scientists and researchers, being led by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture’s (TIA) Professor Matthew Harrison are attempting to solve one of the most important issues facing humanity in the 21st century: reducing global greenhouse gas emissions in a sustainable way.
Professor Harrison is the Director of the Carbon Storage Partnership, a multi-million-dollar transdisciplinary initiative that is developing environmentally contextualised and socially acceptable pathways aimed at progressing the Australian livestock sector to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
As improvement of economic growth and farm business profitability is a critical part of this endeavor, his team often examines multi-disciplinary outcomes of changes to agricultural systems.
“Much of the work we do – for farmers, government, industry, and academia – now focuses on the development of new practices, technologies, and skills to reduce greenhouse gas emissions sustainably and profitably,” Professor Matthew Harrison said.
“The transdisciplinary nature of our work is critical here.
“We could (for example) put a deep, swift cut in greenhouse gas emissions by removing all ruminant-based livestock from the planet, but this would neither be profitable (as farms are businesses) nor conducive to effective land management (livestock primarily graze lands unsuitable for cropping), nor lead to a secure food future, for livestock products contribute a large proportion of the protein requirements of contemporary society in developed nations.”
“It is crucial that (at least) economic, environmental, social, and biophysical changes caused by a proposed adaptation or mitigation opportunity are examined simultaneously,” Professor Harrison said.
“If they are not, positive change in one dimension could easily lead to maladaptation in another.”
Integrated solutions were proposed in the Carbon Storage Partnership’s foundational paper: Carbon Myopia: The urgent need for integrated social, economic and environmental action in the livestock sector
Professor Harrison has a passion for mathematics, climatology, agriculture, and participatory learning, and he has used these disciplines to study how multiple pieces fit together into a holistic system.
After gaining bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering, Applied Science (Biotechnology) and Plant Science, he put them all together in a PhD conducted at the CSIRO in Canberra, Australia, where he conducted field experiments on “dual-purpose” crops; crops that can be used for both animal forage and grain production.
“The unknown at the time was the extent to which these crops could be defoliated by livestock before impacting on ultimate grain yield at the end of the season,” Professor Harrison said.
“I constructed one of the first ever biophysical models of sheep grazing of wheat based on my field experiments.
“This model showed that grazing reduced crop development, reduced crop evapotranspiration and, in dry seasons, this could preserve deep soil moisture and even lead to improved grain yields compared with ungrazed crops.
“Since I completed my PhD, research into dual-purpose crops has taken off, as they are suitable in many regions of the world, provide both animal forage and grain, and allow use of one field by multiple enterprises simultaneously.”
Now, as the Director of the Carbon Storage Partnership, as well as Systems Modelling Team Leader at TIA, Professor Harrison hopes his research can address the reduction of farm-level Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) both sustainably and profitably; decouple productivity and GHG emissions; introduce agronomic adaptations for improving resource-use efficiency.
“Farmers and advisors use the apps we have created, for example WaterCan Profit (www.watercanprofit.com.au).
“Government and institutions have developed carbon trading instruments based on the fundamental science and advice my team has provided.
“And banks and insurance agencies are using methods we have created for forecasting the impacts of extreme weather events as risk management approaches for insurance and lending.
“Farmers and consultants have based practice changes to their farm system following recommendations from his team.”
In January 2023, his team published original research in the prestigious journal, Nature Communications.
In this manuscript, they developed a new paradigm for aggregating thousands of crop model simulations into discrete but physiology-meaningful groups. And they examined global implications of how changes in the climate crisis may impact on future extreme events and how crop waterlogging risk may change.
“We also revealed a ‘silver lining’ to the climate crisis, in that there will be multiple avenues for adapting crop management to waterlogging risk under future climates,” Professor Harrison said.
Now, a lot of Professor Harrison’s time is consumed by leading the Carbon Storage Partnership, which is part of Meat & Livestock Australia’s ‘CN30’ Initiative, which aims at producing a carbon neutral livestock sector by 2030.
The role requires him to focus on governance, risk management, operational and strategic leadership, and delivering tangible scientific outcomes, while steering diverse research teams towards a common goal.
“Being a scientist is not just about science. Science is about leadership, collaboration and working in a people-centric way, with close attention to inclusivity and equality.
“I enjoy leading large groups of people towards a central vision, delivering milestones, innovation, education, teaching, mentoring and supervision.”
The CN30 project’s monitoring and evaluation indicates that more than 12,300 people have directly engaged with staff within the Carbon Storage Partnership to date (February 2023).
“This has already had beneficial impact on the community through improved environmental stewardship, improved understanding of carbon emissions and markets, and empowered end-users who are more likely to action changes that reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in a profitable, sustainable way, without impacting on productivity and food security.”
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TRAINING & EXPERIENCE
After completing undergraduate degrees in Applied Science, Plant Science (Hons) and Civil Engineering (Hons), Matt conducted a PhD with the Australian National University while based at the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Canberra, Australia. Matt conducted post-doctoral fellowships at the CSIRO in Canberra, Australia, working with transdisciplinary stakeholders to develop fit-for-purpose, legitimate and sustainable livestock production systems. Matt later worked at the ‘Institut Nationale de la Recherche Agronomique’ (INRA) in Montpellier, France, and during this period he spent extensive time at Pioneer Hi-Bred International in Des Moines, USA, and the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.
Matt joined the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture and University of Tasmania in 2012 at the Cradle Coast Campus in Burnie, Australia. In 2022, he and his team relocated to Launceston in support of the University’s mission to grow a critical mass of world-class agricultural scientists in the north of the State.
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MEMBERSHIP OF LEARNED SOCIETIES
Grasslands Society of NSW
Grasslands Society of Southern Australia
Australian Society of Agronomy
Australian National University Alumni
Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists & Managers
The Institution of Engineers Australia
La Trobe University Alumni
Golden Key Royal Honours Society
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INTERNAL LEADERSHIP & ENGAGEMENT
In support of the University of Tasmania’s world-class research in climate and agricultural science, Matt leads the University’s College of Science & Engineering initiatives that are aimed to:
*Co-develop and co-deploy innovative farming systems for positive economic and environmental impact with a focus on sustainable use of nitrogen and/or irrigation, and
*Adapt to the climate crisis while reducing, avoiding or removing carbon from the atmosphere, including the development of disruptive opportunities for carbon neutrality, drought preparedness, emissions avoidance and carbon sequestration.
These initiatives underpin the University’s strategic priorities in the Blue and Green Economy and climate change, together developing best management practices to contribute to the sovereign capability of Australia. This requires leadership in interdisciplinary research, development and extension across many University centres and schools, including the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, the School of Natural Science and the Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science (ACROSS).
Matt's leadership is exemplified in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N018hrCe75A&t=46s
MEDIA
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
- ProfessorUniversity of Tasmania, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, Launceston, Australia1 Jul 2024 - present
- DirectorCarbon Storage Partnership, Launceston, Australia29 Apr 2020 - present
- Associate ProfessorUniversity of Tasmania, Launceston, Australia1 Mar 2020 - present
- Systems Modelling Team LeaderUniversity of Tasmania, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, Launceston, Australia1 Dec 2015 - present
- Senior Research FellowUniversity of Tasmania, Burnie, Australia2 Jun 2014 - 28 Feb 2020
- Research FellowTasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Burnie, Australia1 Dec 2012 - 1 Jun 2014
- Research FellowInstitute Nationale de la Recherche (INRA), Montpellier, France1 Jan 2010 - 1 Dec 2012
- Research ScientistPioneer Hi-Bred, Johnston, United States1 Jan 2010 - 1 Dec 2012
- Research FellowUniversity of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia1 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2012
- Postdoctoral FellowshipCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Plant Industry, Canberra, Australia1 Jan 2008 - 1 Jan 2010
DEGREES
- PhDAustralian National University, Australia
- Bachelor of Science (Hons)Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Hons)La Trobe University, Bendigo, Australia
- Bachelor of Applied ScienceLa Trobe University, Bendigo, Australia
POSTGRADUATE TRAINING
- Accredited quarantine-approved personAQIS, Canberra, AustraliaOther
SCHOOL AND PORTFOLIO
- Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA)
UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
- 1 No Poverty
- 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
- 10 Reduced Inequalities
- 13 Climate Action
- 15 Life on Land
- 2 Zero Hunger
- 3 Good Health and Well Being
- 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
- 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
- 17 Partnerships for the Goals
AVAILABILITY
- Collaborative projects
- Career advice
- Educational Outreach
- Industry projects
- Media enquiries
- Membership of an advisory committee
- Masters by research or PhD student supervision
- Mentoring (long-term)
- Mentoring (short-term)
- Panellist or speaker
- Technical support