The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has enlisted the talents of Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Dr Chris Blanchard by appointing the academic to its Southern Panel for three years. It is the first time Dr Blanchard has sat on the GRDC Southern Panel which is chaired by South Australian (SA) grower Mr David Shannon. In welcoming Dr Blanchard to the body, Mr Shannon said the academic brought considerable research credentials to the Panel. Dr Blanchard is one of only two NSW representatives on the Panel which plays a key role in determining the Corporation’s research priorities for southern Australia. Dr Blanchard is a senior lecturer with the University’s School of Biomedical Sciences, based in Wagga Wagga. He is a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program and has worked on projects in areas such as genetic engineering for virus resistance, food science, phylogenetic analysis and human genetic disease.