Leading scientist calls time on career
Afamiliar face at Agriculture Victoria’s Grains Innovation Park in Horsham is continuing to support the future of agricultural science despite his retirement.
Joe Panozzo was a researcher for more than 40 years with Agriculture Victoria and after supervising 11 PHD students at Horsham, continues a supervisor role in his honorary position with the University of Melbourne.
Dr Panozzo studied a science degree and majored in biochemistry.
“After I graduated, I was successful in applying for the job at Horsham and started in the early 1980s,” he said.
“I then did a PHD with the University of NSW, looking at the effects of heat stress on wheat, how it changed the protein composition within the wheat, what the effect of that heat stress was on the processing quality and whether the wheat retained its designated market value or if it gets downgraded.
“Once I had that degree, it gave me a broad set of skills and I was able to create a series of research programs and projects that involved pulses, canola, barley and wheat.”
While Dr Panozzo is now based in Melbourne, he said he missed Horsham.
“I grew up in Horsham, went away to university and didn’t have any intentions of returning. Then a position came up in Horsham and I was successful,” he said.
“Horsham is a great place to bring up a family. It’s a safe environment, there are excellent schools and sporting facilities and good career opportunities.
“One of the things I miss is autumn in Horsham, because the mornings are cold and there might be frost but then there’s a clear blue sky and it’s fantastic.”
Dr Panozzo’s first role was testing wheat for quality traits.
“As my career developed, I also took on the role of testing barley for malting quality traits for beer, canola for oil composition and then later pulses for cooking quality and splitting,” he said.
“When I first started, the lab was quite small – there were only about three people there.
“Over time, the person running it retired, we expanded and I led a group that was, at its peak, about 23 people working on different projects associated with crop improvement.
“We also researched projects associated with climate change and elevated carbon dioxide.”
Throughout his career, Dr Panozzo was awarded the Farrer Medal, which perpetuates the achievements of Australia’s first wheat breeder William Farrer, and the Australasian Grain Science Association FB Guthrie Medal
for ‘outstanding scientific achievement and contribution to knowledge in the field of grain science’.
Agriculture Victoria research head Simone Warner said Dr Panozzo was recognised globally for his vast experience in grains research.
“The significance of his scientific contributions is evident in the 140plus publications that bear his name and his team’s research findings have been cited more than 4300 times,” she said.
Dr Panozzo said each day of his
career had been new and different. “I also enjoyed working in agriculture science because I could see the practical outcomes,” he said.
“It was always about either improving the quality of the crops and therefore growers getting more money or improving the nutritional value, which has benefits for consumers.
“The other thing I enjoyed was developing a team, training the next generation of scientists.
“I don’t know how many people came through the lab in my time, but
I would estimate there were probably 30 scientists.
“Some did Phds, others obtained experience and worked in other organisations and some stayed on and have been there for 20-plus years.”
Along with an honorary position with the University of Melbourne, Dr Panozzo has positions with Charles Sturt University and Monash University.
He said he continued to supervise PHD students who were working on different aspects of agriculture science during his retirement, which was another element of his work he enjoyed.
“Everybody has to retire at some point, but there’s probably never been a better time to be working in agriculture or working in science,” he said.
“The advancements in technology are so great, which allows information to be captured quicker and data to be used in many ways.
“The next generation of artificial intelligence, AI, will use that data to make better assessments of the traits that are being measured and be able to predict quality traits or model what is happening in the field and soil.
“That’s the part I miss the most – that I won’t necessarily be involved in leading any of that, but through the students I supervise, I will still be able to witness and have a hand in it.”