About the speaker

Dr William James Peacock graduated from the University of Sydney in 1958 receiving a Bachelor of Science with Honours. He followed his interests in botany and genetics and after receiving a CSIRO scholarship, continued his post graduate studies, completing a PhD from the University of Sydney in 1962.

In 1963 Jim Peacock began working as a visiting researcher in the Genetics section at CSIRO. He continued his research, taking up positions at the University of Oregon as a post-doctoral fellow and Associate Professor. In 1965, he continued his genetics studies as a research consultant in the biology division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee. On returning to Australia and CSIRO, Jim joined the division of Plant Industry starting as a senior research scientist and working his way up to the Chief Research Scientist.

Dr Peacock was the Chief of CSIRO Plant Industry (1977-2003) in Canberra, one of the world’s leading plant research institutions. He is recognised internationally as an eminent researcher in the field of plant molecular biology and its applications in agriculture. He is a strong advocate for the integration of science and global business and drives communication to inform the general public as to the value of modern science.

Throughout his career, Jim has held a leadership position in modern biotechnology research and development in Australia, introducing new biological approaches to many universities as well as fostering applications into agribusiness. He facilitated the first commercial introduction of a transgenic crop in Australia, being insect resistant cotton and has fostered gene technology research programs to benefit most of Australia's important crop and pasture species. He set up the Gene Shears biotechnology company dedicated to fundamental and applied research with ribozymes, a technology with significant potential for medical applications and agricultural products.

In their most recent research, Jim and his colleagues have made fundamental advances in the molecular basis of plant hybrid vigour. With hybrids providing much greater yield to farmers than the parent varieties, this is an area of great potential for the challenge of providing food security for the world’s growing population.

Jim was also instrumental in establishing the Discovery Centre in Canberra, an interactive outreach centre which showcases CSIRO’s activities to students and the general public. He initiated a number of programs to build scientific interest and skills among school children, including Primary Connections for Australian primary schools, Science by Doing for secondary school science teachers and Scientists in Schools, which forms partnerships between teachers and scientists (with today, more than 1600 partnerships existing in Australian schools).

During his esteemed research career, Jim has published some 250 research papers and books. He is editor of a number of scientific journals and participates regularly in international symposia.

In 1994, Dr Peacock was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), the nation’s highest honour, for his contribution to science and scientific education in schools. He is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science and a CSIRO Medal for Lifetime Achievement, in addition to numerous international honours.

Jim is currently a Fellow and the Chair of CSIRO’s Office of the Chief Executive Science Team and Distinguished Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney. Jim has participated in a number of UTS forums and research days. He has strong links with the UTS Science Faculty and is the Industry Advisory Chair for the UTS ithree Institute. This Institute is at the forefront of understanding the importance of the causes and means of controlling infectious diseases in humans and animals.

Through his innovative communication efforts, Jim has been able to extend research results and educate key-decision makers as well as the general public as to the outcomes and value of modern science, particularly gene technology. His willingness to speak to the public has brought the excitement of biological research to a broad cross-section of the community and to a large numbers of Australian school students. He is a visionary leader who has made an outstanding contribution to science in Australia and internationally. 

It is a great honour for the University of Technology, Sydney to award Dr Peacock an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science (honoris causa), in recognition of his outstanding contribution to international research, particularly plant biology and biotechnology, and for his visionary leadership in science and science education.

Speech

Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Faculty Dean, Staff, distinguished guests, graduates, families and friends

This is a special day for the University and for each graduate here today.

Ultimately the greatness of any University depends on the qualities and achievements of its students and especially of graduates.

You should feel proud of your degree.  It opens a door to your future.  Some of you may already have plans about your next steps – others may not yet have a clear idea of where to from here.

When I first came to my University –it was the one up the road - I had definite plans to study to become a high school teacher in economics.  But the train from the Blue Mountains where I lived was late – very late.  When I finally turned up at the Teachers College at Sydney University the guy in charge told me that there had been many enrolling for economics and suggested I plan to be a science teacher, specializing in Biology.  I thought science teaching would be okay but in those days only girls took Biology in High School!

So I had a radical change in plans, my future being determined by an unreliable train!!  So don’t be too worried if you are still uncertain about the next steps in your life.

Looking back I have a lot to thank the train for!  This has been, and is, a wonderful, exciting era of Biology and for me searching for new knowledge to understand how genes work and how the patterns of gene expression determine our development, our health and what we do in our lives has given me a great life – I couldn’t have been happier. 

With the skills you have acquired in your UTS experience you too should have a great chance to build a creative and innovative future.  What you do in your own career depends on you and your genes – your DNA, but I have called this talk ‘You are more than your DNA’ – your gene sequence is certainly important but in the last few years we have learnt that it is the control of the activity of genes that really matters.

You might have a gene that contributes to a high IQ or to good health, but if those genes are not active then you might as well not have them.  The controls of activity are part of your EPIGENOME – molecules which interact with the DNA so as to alter the architecture of the gene to put it in working mode or to leave it packed away in your chromosomes.

We know that epigenetic molecules operate in microorganisms, plants, animals and in ourselves.  Epigenetics has brought about a revolution in the way we think about genes.  It has given me a new research direction.  Epigenetic molecules can respond to environmental conditions and stress.  If a plant has to survive a frosty night, epigenetic control molecules will switch on the genes which make products to protect the plant from the lower temperatures.  If you have to go to your dentist to have a tooth repaired your epigenetic controls will be operating to switch on the cellular mechanisms that make you nervous and then when it’s all over epigenetic controls will turn on the genes that make you feel better.

The discovery of the epigenome and the realisation of how important it is, is an example of the unexpected in science, which can offer entirely new opportunities, like it did for me. 

My research concerns the understanding of hybrid vigour, where hybrid plants produce much more than their parents – how?  This has been a puzzle for over a century even though it is so important in agriculture.  My laboratory has shown that epigenetic controls underlie the superior performance of the hybrid.  It is a really exciting breakthrough.

You may build a career directly related to science – research, teaching, communication or a job in a food or pharmaceutical company or something to do with IT, or you may go into a work area not directly related to science but where your science training will give you the edge.

Whatever you do, you will come across similar new unexpected findings in your career, which may completely change your direction or may enable you to do something really creative and exciting. 

One other aspect of your future life is that our society is intimately dependent on new scientific discoveries and the new technologies and applications that the new knowledge generates.  As a community we have to understand and make decisions about which new things we accept into our society and which ones we might reject.

It can be really hard to evaluate some of the choices put before us – to assemble the pros and cons so that we can make rational decisions.  As science graduates you will be more science literate than many other people in our society – you will have a leadership role.

With modern science, no matter what direction you take you will have the opportunity to deliver value to society.  I wish every one of you great personal success.