Dr Brian Collins

Dr Brian Collins
NameDr Brian Collins
Email Addressbrian.collins@unisq.edu.au
Job TitleSenior Research Fellow (Cropping Systems Modelling)
QualificationsMAgEng Tehran, PhD Tehran
DepartmentInstitute for Life Sciences and the Environment (Research)
AffiliationsCentre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems
ORCIDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2447-3892
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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

PositionOrganisationFromTo
Senior Research FellowJames Cook University, Australia20212023
Research FellowUniversity of Queensland, Australia20172021
Co-Founder and Former CEOFannavaran Keyhan Danesh Novin Co, Iran20172017
Project Manager / Senior EngineerJarfab Payesh Consulting Engineers Co, Iran20162017
Research AssociateLimagrain Europe / INRA-SupAgro, France20152016
Senior Agricultural (Water) Engineer Jarfab Payesh Consulting Engineers Co, Iran20062015
Head of the Agriculture and Water Resources Research Group Mandatory Military Service, Iran20132014
Senior Flood EngineerLozan Civil Development Engineering Co, Iran20102012
PhD Research AssistantUniversity of Tehran, Iran20082012

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 TitleSupervisor TypeLevel of StudyCompleted
Optimisation of wheat cultivation area based on water and food security in IranAssociateDoctoral2022
Integrating crop modelling and genomics to improve plant breedingAssociateDoctoral2021
Applicability of gridded weather datasets for simulation of field crop growthAssociateMasters2020
Genotypic variability in transpiration efficiency in wheat (MSc Postgraduate Course Work; Internship)PrincipalMasters2019
Using sensitivity analysis for reducing calibration parameters of crop modelsPrincipalMasters2019
Estimation of actual water requirements of strategic crops in Qazvin and Moghan plainsPrincipalMasters2017
Assessment of applicability of CFSR climate data for modelling river discharge in diverse climates of IranPrincipalMasters2017
Performance evaluation of crop models under different levels of irrigation and nitrogen fertiliser (case study: maize)AssociateMasters2015
Simulation and optimisation of lateral depth according to moisture and salinity distribution in subsurface drip irrigationAssociateDoctoral2013
Surface soil moisture simulation with SWAT (Ziyarat watershed case study)AssociateMasters2013
Development of an optimisation model for water allocation in irrigated and rainfed lands to increase economic productivityAssociateDoctoral2012
Project titleDetailsYear
i-RAT: An irrigation Rapid Assessment ToolGreat 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 improvementARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis Agility Grant. QAAFI, The University of Queensland. Toowoomba, Australia. $50,0002020
Genetic variability and yield impact of transpiration efficiency and its components in wheatARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis Agility Grant. QAAFI, The University of Queensland. Toowoomba, Australia. $85,0002019
Development of an AquaCrop-based modelling system to quantify actual water requirements of strategic field crops in IranQazvin Science and Technology Park. Qazvin, Iran2017
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, Iran2014
• Development and application of a planning support system to assess strategies related to land and water resources for adaptation to climate changeIranian Ministry of Energy. Tehran, Iran2009
Assessment of SWAT model performance in Zayandeh-Rud watershedIranian Ministry of Energy. Tehran, Iran2006

Evaluation of meteorological datasets in estimating the water footprint components of wheat and maize (case study: Qazvin, Iran)

Ramezani-Etedali, Hadi, Gorginpaveh, Faraz, Kakvand, Parisa, Elbeltagi, Ahmed and Collins, Brian. 2024. "Evaluation of meteorological datasets in estimating the water footprint components of wheat and maize (case study: Qazvin, Iran)." AIMS Agriculture and Food. 9 (1), pp. 84-107. https://doi.org/10.3934/agrfood.2024006

Application of inclusive multiple model for the prediction of saffron water footprint

Moshizi, Zahra Gerkani Nezhad, Bazrafshan, Ommolbanin, Ramezani Etedali, Hadi, Esmaeilpour, Yahya and Collins, Brian. 2023. "Application of inclusive multiple model for the prediction of saffron water footprint." Agricultural Water Management. 277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2022.108125

Balancing pre- and post-anthesis growth to maximize water-limited yield in cereals

Borrell, Andrew K., Christopher, John T., Kelly, Alison, Collins, Brian and Chenu, Karine. 2023. "Balancing pre- and post-anthesis growth to maximize water-limited yield in cereals." Field Crops Research. 296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2023.108919

An optimal combination of sowing date and cultivar could mitigate the impact of simultaneous heat and drought on rainfed wheat in arid regions

Deihimfard, Reza, Rahimi-Moghaddam, Sajjad, El-Serehy, Hamed and Collins, Brian. 2023. "An optimal combination of sowing date and cultivar could mitigate the impact of simultaneous heat and drought on rainfed wheat in arid regions." European Journal of Agronomy. 147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2023.126848

Superior leaf physiological performance contributes to sustaining the final yield of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) genotypes under terminal heat stress

Sarwar, Muhammad, Saleem, Muhammad Farrukh, Ullah, Najeeb, Ali, Asjad, Collins, Brian, Shahid, Muhammad, Munir, Muhammad Kashif, Chung, Sang-Min and Kumar, Manu. 2023. "Superior leaf physiological performance contributes to sustaining the final yield of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) genotypes under terminal heat stress." Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants. 29 (5), pp. 739-753. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-023-01322-8

Water scarcity assessment in Iran’s agricultural sector using the water footprint concept

Dehghanpir, Shahla, Bazrafshan, Ommolbanin, Ramezani-Etedali, Hadi and Collins, Brian. 2023. "Water scarcity assessment in Iran’s agricultural sector using the water footprint concept." Environment, Development and Sustainability: a multidisciplinary approach to the theory and practice of sustainable development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03852-3

Evaluation of water shortage in wheat production in Iran

Dehghanpir, Shahla, Bazrafshan, Ommolbanin, Ramezani-Etedali, Hadi, Holisaz, Arashk and Collins, Brian. 2023. "Evaluation of water shortage in wheat production in Iran." Iranian Journal of Ecohydrology. 9 (4), pp. 719-732.

A discussion support system to rapidly assess economic and environmental impacts of different sugarcane irrigation practices

Collins, Brian, Attard, Steve, Banhalmi-Zakar, Zsuzsa and Everingham, Yvette. 2023. "A discussion support system to rapidly assess economic and environmental impacts of different sugarcane irrigation practices." Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2023.108380

Frequency of compound hot–dry weather extremes has significantly increased in Australia since 1889

Collins, Brian. 2022. "Frequency of compound hot–dry weather extremes has significantly increased in Australia since 1889 ." Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science. 208 (6), pp. 941-955. https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.12545

Contribution of climate models and APSIM phenological parameters to uncertainties in spring wheat simulations: application of SUFI-2 algorithm in northeast Australia

Collins, Brian, Najeeb, Ullah, Luo, Qunying and Tan, Daniel K. Y.. 2022. "Contribution of climate models and APSIM phenological parameters to uncertainties in spring wheat simulations: application of SUFI-2 algorithm in northeast Australia." Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science. 208 (2), pp. 225-242. https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.12575

Analysis on heat characteristics for summer maize cropping in a semi-arid region

Wang, Zhiwei, Sun, Weiwei, Liu, Xiaoli, Li, Yangyang, Collins, Brian, Ullah, Najeeb and Song, Youhong. 2022. "Analysis on heat characteristics for summer maize cropping in a semi-arid region." Agronomy. 12 (6). https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12061435

A cross-scale analysis to understand and quantify effects of photosynthetic enhancement on crop growth and yield across environments

Wu, Alex, Brider, Jason, Busch, Florian A., Chen, Min, Chenu, Karine, Clarke, Victoria C., Collins, Brian, Ermakova, Maria, Evans, John R., Farquhar, Graham D., Forster, Britta, Furbank, Robert T., Groszmann, Michael, Hernandez‐Prieto, Miguel A., Long, Benedict M., McLean, Greg, Potgieter, Andries, Price, G. Dean, Sharwood, Robert E., ..., Hammer, Graeme L.. 2022. "A cross-scale analysis to understand and quantify effects of photosynthetic enhancement on crop growth and yield across environments." Plant, Cell and Environment. 46 (1), pp. 23-44. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.14453

The Effect of Past Climate Change on the Water Footprint Trend in Saffron at Homogeneous Agroclimatic Regions of Khorasan

Moshizi, zahra Gerkani Nezhad, Bazrafshan, ommolbanin, Ramezani-Etedali, Hadi, Esmaeilpour, yahya and Collins, Brian. 2022. "The Effect of Past Climate Change on the Water Footprint Trend in Saffron at Homogeneous Agroclimatic Regions of Khorasan ." Journal of Saffron Research. 10 (2), pp. 295-311. https://doi.org/10.22077/JSR.2022.5742.1199

Evaluation of CRU TS, GPCC, AgMERRA, and AgCFSR meteorological datasets for estimating climate and crop variables: A case study of maize in Qazvin Province, Iran

Paveh, Faraz Gorgin, Ramezani-Etedali, Hadi and Collins, Brian. 2022. "Evaluation of CRU TS, GPCC, AgMERRA, and AgCFSR meteorological datasets for estimating climate and crop variables: A case study of maize in Qazvin Province, Iran." Journal of Arid Land. 14 (12), pp. 1361-1376. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-022-0108-7

Limiting transpiration rate in high evaporative demand conditions to improve Australian wheat productivity

Collins, Brian, Chapman, Scott, Hammer, Graeme and Chenu, Karine. 2021. "Limiting transpiration rate in high evaporative demand conditions to improve Australian wheat productivity." In Silico Plants. 3 (1). https://doi.org/10.1093/insilicoplants/diab006

Improving productivity of Australian wheat by adapting sowing date and genotype phenology to future climate

Collins, Brian and Chenu, Karine. 2021. "Improving productivity of Australian wheat by adapting sowing date and genotype phenology to future climate." Climate Risk Management. 32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2021.100300

Spatiotemporal variations of evapotranspiration and reference crop water requirement over 1957–2016 in Iran based on CRU TS gridded dataset

Collins, Brian, Ramezani-Etedali, Hadi, Tavakol, Ameneh and Kaviani, Abbas. 2021. "Spatiotemporal variations of evapotranspiration and reference crop water requirement over 1957–2016 in Iran based on CRU TS gridded dataset." Journal of Arid Land. 13 (8), p. 858–878. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-021-0103-4

Methodology to assess the changing risk of yield failure due to heat and drought stress under climate change

Stella, Tommaso, Webber, Heidi, Olesen, Jørgen E, Ruane, Alex C, Fronzek, Stefan, Bregaglio, Simone, Mamidanna, Sravya, Bindi, Marco, Collins, Brian, Faye, Babacar, Ferrise, Roberto, Fodor, Nandor, Gabaldón-Leal, Clara, Jabloun, Mohamed, Kersebaum, Kurt-Christian, Lizaso, Jon I, Lorite, Ignacio J, Manceau, Loic, Martre, Pierre, ..., Ewert, Frank. 2021. "Methodology to assess the changing risk of yield failure due to heat and drought stress under climate change." Environmental Research Letters. 16 (10). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac2196

Future climate change could reduce irrigated and rainfed wheat water footprint in arid environment

Deihimfard, Reza, Rahimi-Moghaddam, Sajjad, Collins, Brian and Azizi, Khosro. 2021. "Future climate change could reduce irrigated and rainfed wheat water footprint in arid environment." Science of the Total Environment. 807 (3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150991

Functional-structural plant models mission in advancing crop science: opportunities and prospects

Soualiou, Soualihou, Wang, Zhiwei, Sun, Weiwei, de Reffye, Philippe, Collins, Brian, Louarn, Gaëtan and Song, Youhong. 2021. "Functional-structural plant models mission in advancing crop science: opportunities and prospects." Frontiers in Plant Science. 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.747142

Spatio-temporal variations of seven weather variables in Iran: application of CRU TS and GPCC data sets

Ababaei, Behnam. 2020. "Spatio-temporal variations of seven weather variables in Iran: application of CRU TS and GPCC data sets." Irrigation and Drainage. 69 (1), pp. 164-185. https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.2399

The impact of climate variability on water footprint components of rainfed wheat and barley in Qazvin province of Iran

Nazari, Rasta, Ramezani-Etedali, Hadi, Nazari, Bijan and Collins, Brian. 2020. "The impact of climate variability on water footprint components of rainfed wheat and barley in Qazvin province of Iran." Irrigation and Drainage. 69 (4), pp. 826-843. https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.2487

Pan-European multi-crop model ensemble simulations of wheat and grain maize under climate change scenarios

Webber, Heidi, Cooke, Diane Kathleene, Ewert, Frank, Olesen, Jørgen E., Fronzek, Stefan, Ruane, Alex C., Martre, Pierre, Collins, Brian, Bindi, Marco, Ferrise, Roberto, Fodor, Nándor, Gabaldón-Leal, Clara, Gaiser, Thomas, Jabloun, Mohamed, Kersebaum, Kurt, Lizaso, Jon I., Lorite, Ignacio J., Manceau, Loic, Moriondo, Marco, ..., Trombi, Giacomo. 2020. "Pan-European multi-crop model ensemble simulations of wheat and grain maize under climate change scenarios ." Open Data Journal for Agricultural Research. 6, pp. 21-27. https://doi.org/10.18174/odjar.v6i0.16326

Enhancing efficiency and profitability: the impact of smart irrigation scheduling in sugarcane production systems

Wang, Eric, Collins, Brian, Attard, Steve and Everingham, Yvette. 2024. "Enhancing efficiency and profitability: the impact of smart irrigation scheduling in sugarcane production systems." 45th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists (ASSCT 2024). Townsville, Australia 15 - 19 Apr 2024 Australia. Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists.

Pre- and post-flowering impacts of natural heatwaves on yield components in wheat

Ullah, Najeeb, Collins, Brian, Christopher, John T., Frederiks, Troy and Chenu, Karine. 2024. "Pre- and post-flowering impacts of natural heatwaves on yield components in wheat." Field Crops Research. 316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109489

Investigating Spatiotemporal Variations of Precipitation across Iran over 1957-2016 using the CRU Gridded Dataset

Ramezani-Etedali, Hadi Ramezani and Ababaei, Behnam. 2021. "Investigating Spatiotemporal Variations of Precipitation across Iran over 1957-2016 using the CRU Gridded Dataset." Modares Civil Engineering journal. 21 (1), pp. 103-117.

Impacts of droughts on rainfall use efficiency in different climatic zones and land uses in Iran

Ahmadaali, Khaled, Damaneh, Hadi Eskandari, Ababaei, Behnam and Damaneh, Hamed Eskandari. 2021. "Impacts of droughts on rainfall use efficiency in different climatic zones and land uses in Iran ." Arabian Journal of Geosciences. 14 (2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-06389-1

Heat shocks increasingly impede grain filling but have little effect on grain setting across the Australian Wheatbelt

Collins, Behnam and Chenu, Karine. 2020. "Heat shocks increasingly impede grain filling but have little effect on grain setting across the Australian Wheatbelt." Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.107889

Detection of major weather patterns reduces number of simulations in climate impact studies

Collins, Behnam and Najeeb, Ullah. 2020. "Detection of major weather patterns reduces number of simulations in climate impact studies." Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science. 206 (3), pp. 376-389. https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.12388

Investigating climate change over 1957–2016 in an arid environment with three drought indexes

Ababaei, Behnam and Ramezani-Etedali, Hadi. 2019. "Investigating climate change over 1957–2016 in an arid environment with three drought indexes." Theoretical and Applied Climatology. 137 (3), pp. 2977-2992. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-019-02793-0

Optimization of the cropping pattern of main cereals and improving water productivity: application of the water footprint concept

Ramezani-Etedali, Hadi, Ahmadaali, Khaled, Paveh, Faraz and Ababaei, Behnam. 2019. "Optimization of the cropping pattern of main cereals and improving water productivity: application of the water footprint concept." Irrigation and Drainage. 68, pp. 765-777. https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.2362

Using crop growth model stress covariates and AMMI decomposition to better predict genotype by environment interactions

Rincent, R., Malosetti, M., Collins, B., Ababaei, B., Touzy, G., Mini, A., Bogard, M., Martre, P., Le Gouis, J. and van Eeuwijk, F.. 2019. "Using crop growth model stress covariates and AMMI decomposition to better predict genotype by environment interactions." Theoretical and Applied Genetics: international journal of plant breeding research. 132 (12), pp. 3399-3411. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-019-03432-y

Diverging importance of drought stress for maize and winter wheat in Europe

Webber, Heidi, Ewert, Frank, Olesen, Jørgen E., Müller, Christoph, Fronzek, Stefan, Ruane, Alex C., Bourgault, Maryse, Martre, Pierre, Ababaei, Behnam, Bindi, Marco, Ferrise, Roberto, Finger, Robert, Fodor, Nándor Fodor, Gabaldón-Leal, Clara, Gaiser, Thomas, Jabloun, Mohamed, Kersebaum, Kurt-Christian, Lizaso, Jon I., Lorite, Ignacio J., ..., Wallach, Daniel. 2018. "Diverging importance of drought stress for maize and winter wheat in Europe." Nature Communications. 9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06525-2