Person
Cornish, Edwina Cecily (1955 - )
AO FTSE
- Born
- 16 November 1955
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Educator, Science administrator, University Administrator and Biotechnologist
Summary
Edwina Cornish is a biotechnologist who played a key role in establishing one of Australia's first biotechnology companies, Florigene Limited. The company developed and commercialised some of the world's first genetically modified plants. Between 1994 and 1998 she was successively Managing Director and Director of Research and Development at Florigene. At the University of Adelaide, where from 2000 to 2003 she was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Professor of Biotechnology, she was instrumental in improving translation of he University's research She also played a key role in the establishment of Australian Grain Technologies, a market leader in wheat genetics and Australia's largest plant breeding company. In 2004 Cornish became Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Monash University, engaged in strengthening the University's research performance. She has extensive experience in facilitating collaboration between research organisations, industry, government and he higher education sector. Organisations in which she has been involved include the Australian Research Council, CSIRO, the Prime Minister's Science and Engineering Council, and several Cooperative Research Centres.
Details
Chronology
- 1994 - 1996
- Career position - Member, Prime Minister's Science and Engineering Council
- 1994 - 1998
- Career position - Managing Director, Florigene
- 1994 - 1998
- Career position - Member, Australian Biotechnology Association
- 1996 - 2000
- Career position - Member, Board of Directors, International Society for Plant Molecular Biology
- 1997 - 2000
- Career position - Member, Victorian Government Science and Engineering Technology Taskforce
- 1998 - 1999
- Career position - Director of Research and Development, Florigene
- 2000
- Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE)
- 2000 - 2001
- Career position - Member, Board of Directors, CRC for Tissue Growth and Repair
- 2000 - 2001
- Career position - Member, Board of Directors, Australian Petroleum CRC
- 2000 - 2001
- Career position - Member, South Australian Innovation, Science and Technology Council
- 2000 - 2002
- Career position - Member, Board of Directors, Repromed Pty Ltd
- 2000 - 2003
- Career position - Deputy Vice-Chancellor (research), University of Adelaide
- 2000 - 2003
- Career position - Professor of Biotechnology, University of Adelaide
- 2000 - 2003
- Career position - Member, Board of Directors, Forestry Tasmania
- 2001
- Award - Centenary Medal for service to Australian society in biotechnology and university administration
- 2001 - 2003
- Career position - Member, Board of Directors, CRC for Molecular Plant Breeding
- 2001 - 2003
- Career position - Member, Board of Directors, Adelaide Research and Innovation Pty Ltd., University of Adelaide
- 2001 - 2004
- Career position - Member of the Board, Australian Research Council
- 2002 - 2003
- Career position - Member, South Australian Premier's Science and Research Council
- 2002 - 2008
- Career position - Member, Board of trustees, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre
- 2004 - 2009
- Career position - Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Monash University
- 2005 - 2006
- Career position - Member, National e-Research Coordinating Committee
- 2006
- Career position - Member, CSIRO Flagship Program Review Panel
- 2006 - 2007
- Career position - Member, National Research Priorities Standing Committee
- 2007
- Career position - Member, Board of Directors, Monash IVF Pty Ltd
- 2007 - 2009
- Career position - Chair, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research/Pro Vice Chancellor Committee, Universities Australia
- 2007 - 2012
- Career position - Member, Advisory Council on Intellectual Property, Australian Government
- 2009 - 2012
- Career position - Member, National Research Infrastructure Council
- 2009 - 2012
- Career position - Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Monash University
- 2012 - 2016
- Career position - Provost and Senior Vice-President, Monash University
- 2013
- Award - DSc (honoris causa), University of Melbourne
- 2014
- Career event - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) or distinguished service to higher education, to advances in biotechnology and horticultural genetic modification, and through fostering partnerships with government, industry and the community
- 2015 - 2020
- Career position - Member of the Board, CSIRO
- 2016
- Life event - Retired
- 2017 - 2021
- Career position - Member of Council, La Trobe University
Related entries
Published resources
Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions
- McCarthy, Gavan; Morgan, Helen; Smith, Ailie; van den Bosch, Alan, Where are the Women in Australian Science?, Exhibition of the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, First published 2003 with lists updated regulary edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, 2003, https://eoas.info/exhibitions/wisa/wisa.html. Details
Resources
- 'Cornish, Edwina Cecily', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1476781. Details
See also
- Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Handbook 2001 (Victoria: Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, 2001), 271 pp. Details
- Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia [Queen's Birthday 2014], Government of Australia, Canberra, 2014, https://www.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/honours/qb/qb2014/Media%20Notes%20-%20AO.pdf. Details
- Herd, Margaret ed., Who's who in Australia 2002 (Melbourne: Crown Content, 2001), 2020 pp. Details
Ailie Smith and Helen Cohn
Created: 12 February 2003, Last modified: 10 November 2022