Allison Pearson

Background

About Allison Pearson

I have been involved in the agriculture industry for over 15 years working to develop connections with researchers and deliver continually improved outcomes for growers and their livelihoods. I am an investment manager at the GRDC first joining as the manager of Agronomy and Farming systems portfolio for the South. I now manage a portfolio of investments as the Manager of Oilseeds for genetic technologies. I undertake active management of Research investment which enables me to develop relationships with our partners and work collaboratively to achieve the greatest benefits and outputs for growers. I am also currently completing my MBA at UniSA. The role as Manager -Oilseeds has multiple functions which include- Project management - Contract procurement - Research analyses - Strategic planning - Stakeholder relationship management and engagement - Negotiation - Budget management Prior to working at GRDC I spent 8 years at the University of Adelaide as a postdoctoral research fellow, working to improve the genetic traits of cereal crops for known constraints in the Australian agricultural landscape. During this time I developed a number of skills in Research and Development, such as DNA sequencing and analysis, molecular biology, QTL analysis, genotyping and large phenotyping experiments and managing large datasets. I was also successful in acquiring grants to further my research, which allowed me to get the initial experience in project management.