Dr Brian Collins
| Name | Dr Brian Collins |
|---|---|
| Email Address | brian.collins@unisq.edu.au |
| Job Title | Senior Research Fellow (Cropping Systems Modelling) |
| Qualifications | MAgEng Tehran, PhD Tehran |
| Department | Institute for Life Sciences and the Environment (Research) |
| Affiliations | Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems |
| ORCID | https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2447-3892 |
262
total views of outputs50
total downloads of outputs107
views of outputs this month27
downloads of outputs this month
Biography
My expertise is at the interface of cropping systems, crop physiology, agrometeorology, ecophysiological modelling, and data science. Interested in a transdisciplinary approach to digital agriculture and water resources management, I specialise in mathematical modelling and computer simulation of biological and agrohydrological systems to study genotype × environment × management interactions, characterise abiotic stresses, assess climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, and identify promising avenues to move towards more resilient agricultural systems in a changing climate. I have employed my knowledge and experience in broadacre, rotational, dryland, and precision farming systems.
My work contributes to food security and environmental sustainability via field/control-environment impact and adaptation studies complemented by in silico investigations. I am keen to teach, promote, and utilise agricultural (digital) technologies to systematically investigate ecophysiological and agro-hydrological processes across spatial scales to develop adaptation and development pathways by building climate-smart systems. I aspire to help improve resource use efficiency and better understand the implications of genetic variability, climate change/variability, weather extremes, land use change, and management scenarios for agricultural systems and water management at the paddock, farm, landscape, national, continental, and global levels. As a hands-on data analyst and modeller, I am interested in the applications of GIS, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, deep learning, and agrohydrological and biophysical models in advancing our understanding of agroecosystems.
Employment
| Position | Organisation | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Research Fellow | James Cook University, Australia | 2021 | 2023 |
| Research Fellow | University of Queensland, Australia | 2017 | 2021 |
| Co-Founder and Former CEO | Fannavaran Keyhan Danesh Novin Co, Iran | 2017 | 2017 |
| Project Manager / Senior Engineer | Jarfab Payesh Consulting Engineers Co, Iran | 2016 | 2017 |
| Research Associate | Limagrain Europe / INRA-SupAgro, France | 2015 | 2016 |
| Senior Agricultural (Water) Engineer | Jarfab Payesh Consulting Engineers Co, Iran | 2006 | 2015 |
| Head of the Agriculture and Water Resources Research Group | Mandatory Military Service, Iran | 2013 | 2014 |
| Senior Flood Engineer | Lozan Civil Development Engineering Co, Iran | 2010 | 2012 |
| PhD Research Assistant | University of Tehran, Iran | 2008 | 2012 |
Expertise
• Biophysical/crop modelling, agro-hydrological modelling, crop physiology, agrometeorology, hydrology.
• Precision farming, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable agriculture.
• Integrated water resources management and planning, flood management, land use management, and virtual water.
• Farm (irrigation and drainage) system design and management, hydraulic modelling, flood modelling, and water delivery systems.
• Computer programming (R, Python, MATLAB, C#, SQL), data analysis, machine learning, deep learning, and business intelligence.
• Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing (GIS and RS).
Fields of Research
- 300201. Agricultural hydrology
- 300202. Agricultural land management
- 300204. Agricultural management of nutrients
- 300205. Agricultural production systems simulation
- 300206. Agricultural spatial analysis and modelling
- 300207. Agricultural systems analysis and modelling
- 300210. Sustainable agricultural development
- 300403. Agronomy
- 400513. Water resources engineering
MAgEng
Tehran
2008
PhD
Tehran
2012
Completed Supervisions
| Research Title | Supervisor Type | Level of Study | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimisation of wheat cultivation area based on water and food security in Iran | Associate | Doctoral | 2022 |
| Integrating crop modelling and genomics to improve plant breeding | Associate | Doctoral | 2021 |
| Applicability of gridded weather datasets for simulation of field crop growth | Associate | Masters | 2020 |
| Genotypic variability in transpiration efficiency in wheat (MSc Postgraduate Course Work; Internship) | Principal | Masters | 2019 |
| Using sensitivity analysis for reducing calibration parameters of crop models | Principal | Masters | 2019 |
| Estimation of actual water requirements of strategic crops in Qazvin and Moghan plains | Principal | Masters | 2017 |
| Assessment of applicability of CFSR climate data for modelling river discharge in diverse climates of Iran | Principal | Masters | 2017 |
| Performance evaluation of crop models under different levels of irrigation and nitrogen fertiliser (case study: maize) | Associate | Masters | 2015 |
| Simulation and optimisation of lateral depth according to moisture and salinity distribution in subsurface drip irrigation | Associate | Doctoral | 2013 |
| Surface soil moisture simulation with SWAT (Ziyarat watershed case study) | Associate | Masters | 2013 |
| Development of an optimisation model for water allocation in irrigated and rainfed lands to increase economic productivity | Associate | Doctoral | 2012 |
| Project title | Details | Year |
|---|---|---|
| i-RAT: An irrigation Rapid Assessment Tool | Great Barrier Reef Foundation. James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. $419,906 (December 2022 – May 2024) | 2022 |
| Impacts of transpiration efficiency and its components (photosynthesis and stomatal conductance) in promising wheat lines: a new step towards further genetic improvement | ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis Agility Grant. QAAFI, The University of Queensland. Toowoomba, Australia. $50,000 | 2020 |
| Genetic variability and yield impact of transpiration efficiency and its components in wheat | ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis Agility Grant. QAAFI, The University of Queensland. Toowoomba, Australia. $85,000 | 2019 |
| Development of an AquaCrop-based modelling system to quantify actual water requirements of strategic field crops in Iran | Qazvin Science and Technology Park. Qazvin, Iran | 2017 |
| Estimation of CN and S parameters for the sub-basins of the North Khorasan province using the SWAT model | North Khorasan Regional Water Company, North Khorasan, Iran | 2014 |
| • Development and application of a planning support system to assess strategies related to land and water resources for adaptation to climate change | Iranian Ministry of Energy. Tehran, Iran | 2009 |
| Assessment of SWAT model performance in Zayandeh-Rud watershed | Iranian Ministry of Energy. Tehran, Iran | 2006 |