Dr
Gavin Sarre
Manager - Field Research Operations
My role in the department
Gavin joined DPIRD in 2012 as a Senior Technical Officer with Soil Science and Crop Nutrition and Field Research Operations and has now taken on the role of Acting Manager - Field Research Operations since March 2023. The Field Research Operations team implement all aspects of field trials including site selection, soil amelioration, seeding, chemical applications, irrigation, harvesting as well as the management of research farms and the procurement of machinery and equipment.
The team are based at Geraldton Wongan Hills, Merredin, Northam, South Perth and Esperance providing services to DPIRD researchers, universities, CSIRO, external field service providers and privately funded research projects. The portfolio’s charter is to play an important role in a sustainable and profitable grains industry through supporting DPIRD’s world-class, applied R&D.
My background
Gavin has lived in Northam for 20 years on a 42-acre hobby farm and has a PhD in Fisheries Biology from Murdoch University. He started his career working for 10 years as a Fisheries researcher with Murdoch University and TafeWA on Inland Saline Aquaculture.
Projects
- Increasing profit from N, P and K fertiliser inputs into the evolving cropping sequences in the Western Region
Key Expertise
Grain trial management, fertiliser, plant nutrition, soil sampling, subsoil acidity, field and glasshouse trials, research and development, soil analysis, data logging systems
Qualifications
- Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment, CY O’Connor TAFE, 2002
- PhD in Fisheries Science, Murdoch University, 1999
- BSc in Biological Science with Honours, Murdoch University, 1992
- BSc In Multidisciplinary Science, Curtin University, 1990