After seven years at the helm of the national science agency, CSIRO chief executive Dr Larry Marshall will complete his third and final term in June next year. He will have been the longest serving chief executive in 50 years.
Industry and science minister Ed Husic said Marshall had steered CSIRO through a rapidly changing scientific environment.
“A period of much scientific promise amid global turbulence, particularly through the COVID pandemic. Dr Marshall’s experience founding companies to propel innovation played an important role in his leadership of the agency.
“Undoubtedly, he will leave the organisation with a lasting legacy and I thank him for his dedicated service,” Husic said.
“It’s been nearly eight years since I returned to CSIRO to become chief executive, rejoining this amazing organisation that has held a special place in my heart since I was a summer intern at our Lindfield site in Sydney.
“It’s been an honour and a privilege to work alongside the team who do amazing things for science and for Australia. It’s with a sense of great pride in all that we’ve achieved together that I will conclude my third and final term as chief executive on 30 June next year,” Marshall said.
CSIRO said under Marshall’s leadership there was a “renewed focus on its unique purpose to solve the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology”.
Early in his tenure, Marshall introduced Strategy 2020, a program to focus CSIRO on continued science excellence and to amplify the delivery of solutions from science, taking science “from the bench into the hands of the community”.
The result were innovations like Future Feed – a feed additive derived from seaweed to lower emissions from cattle; the hydrogen cracker to catalyse a $50 billion Australian hydrogen energy industry, Colvera – a highly sensitive and specific blood-based test for the recurrence of colorectal cancer, and developing omega-3 oils, proteins and bioactives from marine microorganisms.
CSIRO board chair Kathryn Fagg said, “Dr Marshall has led CSIRO to deliver significant scientific breakthroughs, translate its research into real world solutions and deliver a staggering benefit for our nation – eight times the investment.
“Today’s CSIRO is the most connected research organisation in Australia, collaborating with every university and helping thousands of small and large industry partners to bring science to the centre of creating a better future.”
Marshall said, “It is a rare privilege to work with people so driven to achieve for the benefit of a nation and its people. Over the past eight years, together we have reignited Australia’s ambition to solve our greatest challenges with science.
“I am honoured to know how much has been delivered by our national science agency and how proud every Australian can be of its achievements.”
Achievements and legacy
Marshall created Future Science Platforms with $425m invested in cutting edge, transformative Horizon 3 science research since 2016. This includes 20 areas of promising new science and engineering like quantum technology, immune resilience, permanent carbon locking, and advanced engineering biology.
He transformed CSIRO’s approach to solving Australia’s greatest challenges, identifying six National Challenges and enabling the organisation to better work across science disciplines. New research areas were also established at scale, making CSIRO home to Australia’s largest data science group, and its first Health group that enabled CSIRO’s proactive response to COVID-19.
Marshall oversaw the creation of ON, the CSIRO incubator program to help research-driven start-ups get off the ground. Since formation in 2015, ON has supported 3314 researchers from 52 Australian research organisations, and created 510 new jobs and 66 companies, which have raised $114.6 million in investment capital and $115.8 million in commercialisation grants.
Drawing on his experience founding companies to propel innovation, he led the creation of the CSIRO Innovation Fund – Main Sequence Ventures. The Fund was created to help support translating Australian research into new companies to solve big challenges. Since 2017, Main Sequence has helped to build 42 deep technology companies, creating more than 1200 technology jobs.
“All in all, Strategy 2020 has helped create or transform hundreds of companies, creating billions of new economic value and thousands of jobs for Australians,” CSIRO said.
In August 2020, Marshall led CSIRO to establish Missions, large research programs to tackle big, multi-faceted problems by bringing together research agencies, universities, industry, government, and community with outcomes that lead to positive benefit, new jobs and economic growth. Missions launched include Hydrogen, Future Protein, Drought Resilience, Trusted AgriFood Exports, Ending Plastic Waste, Towards Net Zero.
Bushfires, COVID and floods
The 2019/20 bushfire season drew on 70 years of bushfire research from CSIRO as the nation was devastated by its impact. Under Marshall a new national research lab, the National Bushfire Behaviour Research Laboratory, was formed to bring together partners across industry, research, and government to harness the latest science and technology in the face of more frequent and more severe bushfire seasons.
In response to Covid, CSIRO launched the Australian Centre for Diseases Preparedness, and engaged in a broad range of activities with government and industry including preclinical testing of potential vaccines, understanding the virus and its mutations, monitoring wastewater, supporting manufacturing of surgical masks, and analysing and sharing trends in data and the impact on health services.
Under Marshall’s leadership the new $23.1 million National Vaccine and Therapeutics Lab will bolster Australias ability to produce vaccines and drug treatments onshore with CSIRO researchers turning vaccine and drug candidates into products manufactured in large quantities for clinical trials.
Husic said, “I particularly welcomed the opportunity in August to launch CSIRO National Vaccine and Therapeutics Lab alongside Dr Marshall.
“CSIRO’s contribution to Australia’s resilience during the pandemic cannot be overstated. And it will play a vital role in developing sovereign capability in the years to come.”
CSIRO is currently on the ground in the Northern Rivers after the catastrophic flooding earlier in the year, meeting with flood-affected communities from seven LGAs as part of a flood mitigation study, which will help the government to prioritise projects in at-risk areas to protect Australians.
“From inspiring school children with physics experiments, pulling yet another piece of amazing science from his pocket, creating start-ups from science to fiercely defending the integrity and trust of the organisation, Dr Marshall has reminded all of us that science has the power to solve seemingly impossible challenges and create a better future for all Australians,” CSIRO said.
