Award of the 2025 Crawford Fund Medal to Dr Gabrielle Persley AM
July 29, 2026
The Crawford Fund for Food Security awards the 2025 Crawford Fund Medal to Dr Gabrielle Persley AM in recognition of her exceptional and sustained contribution to international agricultural research for development.
For over five decades, Dr Persley has played a foundational role in shaping global agricultural science systems – from her appointment to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in 1975, her early contribution to establishing the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, to her leadership in advancing biosciences, biotechnology and demand-led breeding across Africa and beyond. The Award of the 2025 CFFS Medal honours a 50-year contribution that started with that first engagement in Africa in 1975.
Her work has combined scientific excellence with institutional innovation. She has mobilised major international investments, strengthened research capacity across developing countries, and enabled the development and adoption of improved crop varieties and livestock systems that have enhanced productivity, resilience, and livelihoods.
Through her leadership in initiatives such as Biosciences in eastern and central Africa (BecA) at the International Livestock Research Institute, the Demand-Led Breeding Program and her support for scholars in Africa through the Doyle Foundation, Dr Persley has influenced generations of scientists and built enduring platforms for collaboration, knowledge exchange and impact.
This award recognises not only a distinguished career, but a legacy of global influence in using science, partnership, and innovation to advance food security and development. She is presently an Honorary Professor in the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability at The University of Queensland, from where she continues to achieve impact through ongoing initiatives in Africa.
The 2025 Medal will be presented to Dr Persley in Canberra on the evening of 10 August during the 2026 Conference.
