Brajesh Singh honored with Dorothy Jones Prize

Singh, a recognized global expert in microbial functional ecology at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, dedicated a decade to refining his expertise in Scotland before making the move to Australia

Indian-origin professor Brajesh Singh from the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at Western Sydney University was awarded the Dorothy Jones Prize for microbiology during the EMI lecture 2023 held in London.

An esteemed scholar in microbial functional ecology, Singh spent ten years honing his craft in Scotland before relocating to Australia to work at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment. Upon joining the institute, he assumed the role of director of the Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation in 2015.

Singh has been at the forefront of developments that will make existing antimicrobial products even more effective. In addition to making significant contributions to a number of industries in Australia and around the world, his work has brought new tools for manipulating plant and soil microbiomes.

Singh works with the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other governmental and intergovernmental organizations to provide training in sustainable agriculture and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to farmers, consultants, and policy advisors. He also works with the UN FAO's Global Soil Partnership to enhance farming system resilience globally. Additionally, he advises the European Commission on improving productivity in the bioeconomy.

Singh holds prestigious positions as a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the Soil Science Society of Australia, the Soil Science Society of America, and the American Academy of Microbiology. He is also recognized as a Humboldt Research awardee.

The prize is part of the Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards, which honor exceptional people and their groundbreaking work in the area of applied microbiology. It is named after Dr. Dorothy Jones, who served as president of the organization from 1989 to 1991.