ProfessorAlex McBratney

Professor Alex McBratney AM FRS FAA is a globally recognised soil scientist whose work has helped shape the modern fields of pedometrics, digital soil mapping, precision agriculture and soil security. He holds BSc, PhD and DSc degrees in Soil Science from the University of Aberdeen, and a DScAgr in Precision Agriculture from the University of Sydney.

After completing his PhD work at Rothamsted Experimental Station in the United Kingdom, Alex spent seven years with the CSIRO Division of Soils in Brisbane before joining the University of Sydney in 1989. He has since held major academic and leadership roles, including Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and Inaugural Director of the Sydney Institute of Agriculture.

Alex’s research has influenced how soils are measured, mapped, monitored and managed. His work spans soil security, digital soil mapping, pedometrics, precision agriculture, soil carbon sequestration, soil sensing technologies, high-resolution soil change monitoring, climate-smart agriculture and the development of AgTech.

Alex has published approximately 595 refereed scientific articles and has an h-index of 133 and i10-index of 533 on Google Scholar. He has also been recognised as a Highly Cited Researcher annually from 2016 to 2025. His honours include election as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2016, the NSW Premier’s Prize for Excellence in Biological Sciences in 2018, an ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship in 2021, appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2024, the Poggendorff Award and Lectureship from the Royal Society of NSW in 2025, and election to the Royal Society in London in 2026.

Internationally, Alex has contributed significantly to the global soil science community through roles including Deputy Secretary General of the International Union of Soil Sciences, Editor-in-Chief of Geoderma, and Co-Editor of Kluwer’s Progress in Soil Science book series. In 2014, he was awarded the VV Dokuchaev Medal by the International Union of Soil Sciences, the highest honour in the soil science discipline.