The University of Western Australia is saddened by the loss of Emeritus Professor Alan Robson AO CitWA, who died yesterday aged 79. Professor Robson served as the University’s Vice-Chancellor from 2004 to 2011 and although retired for many years, he remained connected to UWA throughout his retirement.

In an email to staff, current Vice-Chancellor Professor Amit Chakma said that during his eight years as Vice-Chancellor and 11 years as Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robson had been recognised as an outstanding leader, friend and mentor to many, attending more than 180 graduation ceremonies, and witnessing over 65,000 students graduate.

“Professor Robson was also highly regarded by our staff and the wider community for his commitment to ensuring the University was a place where diversity was recognised and celebrated,” Professor Chakma said.

“Under his guidance, UWA strived to provide an inclusive environment for staff, students and community members.”

He was also Chair of the Group of Eight from 2007 to 2010, Deputy Chair of the Council of the National Library for seven years, Deputy Chair of Universities Australia for three and a member of the Western Australian Science Council and the CSIRO Board for many years.

His previous roles at UWA included Foundation Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, and Head of the School of Agriculture and Professor of Agriculture (Soil Science), and Hackett Chair in Agriculture until his retirement.

The 2017 establishment of the annual Robson and Robertson Award acknowledged Emeritus Professors Robson and Alistar Robertson for their integral role in the establishment of UWA’s Oceans Institute (OI).

Professor Robson was a lifelong advocate for science, as he demonstrated in an interview with the Western Australian Marine Science Institution in 2014:

“Science is a great career. Whether it’s marine science or agricultural science or whichever science you choose, you get to travel the world, do stimulating things, meet good people, solve real-world problems.

“Right at the moment we are in difficult times – governments and industry are cutting back on investment in science – but I believe the long-term future is bright. Everything we do depends on science and we’ve always got to keep looking at smarter ways of doing things.”

The University paid tribute to Professor Robson’s remarkable contribution in 2020 when the outdoor space between the Institute of Agriculture & Northwest Wing and the Agriculture Central Wing was named the Robson Walk. In addition, the University will name the Agriculture Lecture Theatre located on the ground floor of the Institute of Agriculture and North West Wing Building the Alan Robson Agriculture Lecture Theatre.