Agriculture luminary Hackett Professor Kadambot Siddique AM FTSE has received a prestigious Friendship Award at a ceremony in Beijing.
It recognises his outstanding contributions to agricultural science and education in China over the past 15 years.
Professor Siddique, who is Director of The University of Western Australia’s Institute of Agriculture, said he was humbled and honoured to be chosen for the award.
“It has been a great pleasure working with numerous colleagues and postgraduate students from China over the years,” he said.
The Friendship Award is the Chinese Central Government’s highest award that recognises foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to China’s modernisation and reform.
Each year it is conferred to 50 winners on the National Day of the People’s Republic of China.
This adds to Professor Siddique considerable list of honours, which includes 2014 Western Australian of the Year, 2016 UN Special Ambassador for the International Year of Pulses, and the first Australian fellow of The African Academy of Sciences.
He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering in 2005, and is a member of five of our Forums as well as the Climate Change Advisory Group.
UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater said that Professor Siddique had made contributions to agricultural science especially in dryland agricultural systems that were of the highest international significance.
“This award is further recognition of his tireless efforts in providing research-based solutions to global issues in agriculture,” she said.