James Dale (scientist)

James Dale AC
Born	James Langham Dale
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	University of Sydney
Awards	Companion of the Order of Australia (2022) Queensland Greats Award (2015)
Scientific career
Institutions	Queensland University of Technology

James Langham Dale AC is an Australian agricultural scientist. He is a professor in the Faculty of Science School of Biology & Environmental Science at Queensland University of Technology (QUT).^[1]

Dale is best known for development of improved strains of bananas.^[2] In 2021, his team earned recognition for a strain of Cavendish bananas resistant to Panama disease tropical race 4.^[3]

Early life

Dale grew up in a harbour-side suburb of Sydney. He was more interested in sport than science until late in high school at Cranbrook School, Sydney. He then went to University of Sydney and on completion of his undergraduate degree, immediately continued into his PhD, supervised by plant virologist Adrian Gibbs,^[4] and completed in 1975.

Research

In 2004, he led a team at QUT to apply for a grant from the Gates Foundation in conjunction with the National Agricultural Research Organisation of Uganda. The goal is to develop bananas, a staple crop in Uganda, to address nutrition deficiencies of Vitamin A and iron in Ugandan diets. The technology is developed in Australia, but transferred to Uganda to develop local expertise.^[4]

Awards and honours

• Dale was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours for service as a leader in the field of agricultural biotechnology research and development, particularly plant virus resistance.^[5] This was increased to Companion of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Australia Day Honours for eminent service to agricultural science, particularly through biological and biotechnological research and development, leadership, and to gene technology.^[6][7]
• He received a Queensland Greats Award in 2015.^[4]
• Queensland state recipient of Senior Australian of the Year in 2019^[8]

References

1. "James Dale". Academic Profiles. Queensland University of Technology. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
2. Free, Georgia (30 May 2019). "Amazing People – Professor James Dale: The Banana Man". Hope 103.2.
3. "QUT Panama disease breakthrough sparks US funding". EurekaAlert!. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
4. Demos, Chrisanthi (4 June 2015). "James Dale, Queensland Greats Award recipient". The Weekend Edition. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
5. "Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) entry for Professor James Langham DALE". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 14 June 2004. Retrieved 26 January 2022. For service as a leader in the field of agricultural biotechnology research and development, particularly plant virus resistance.
6. "Australia Day 2022 Honours List". The Canberra Times. 25 January 2022.
7. "Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) entry for Distinguished Professor James Langham DALE AO". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022. For eminent service to agricultural science, particularly through biological and biotechnological research and development, leadership, and to gene technology.
8. "Professor James Dale AO". QLD State Recipient Senior Australian of the Year 2019. Australian of the Year. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2022.