Charles Spillane
Charles Spillane | |
|---|---|
| Born | 31 December 1965 |
| Alma mater |
|
| Known for | Plant genetics & epigenetics |
| Spouse | Una Murray |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions |
|
| Thesis | Genetic Engineering of Potato for Resistance to Potato Virus X. |
| Website | www |
Charles Spillane is the FAO Chief Scientist within the Core Leadership Team[1] of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.[2][3][4][5]
Prior to joining FAO in January 2026, he has been the Established Professor (Chair) of Plant Science (since 2009), and the Founder and Leader of the Agriculture, Food Systems, and Bioeconomy Research Centre[6] at the University of Galway, Ireland.
Between 2016 to 2024, he was the Director of the interdisciplinary Ryan Institute[7] at the University of Galway.
Since 2003, Spillane has led his interdisciplinary AgriBiosciences, Food Security and Climate Change research group.[8]
Education
After graduating from Dublin City University with a BSc in Biotechnology, Spillane completed his PhD in plant genetic engineering with Tony Kavanagh in the Genetics Dept, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. His PhD research was focused on development of novel pathogen-derived resistance strategies against singe-stranded RNA viruses such as potato virus X.
Career
After completing his Ph.D., Spillane worked as a Research Assistant in the group of David Baulcombe, Sainsbury Lab, John Innes Centre, Norwich.
Towards the end of his PhD, Spillane founded the Irish Genetic Resources Conservation Trust (IGRCT), a charitable NGO for the conservation of plant and animal genetic resources in Ireland.
Between 1995-1998, Spillane worked at the headquarters of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy.
From 1998 to 2003 Spillane worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Ueli Grossniklaus on plant epigenetics (genomic imprinting) and apomixis technology development at the Delbruck Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), New York, USA, the Friedrich Miescher Institute, Basel, Switzerland, and at the Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, University of Zürich, Switzerland.
In 2003 Spillane established his research group in University College Cork, Ireland,. In 2009, Spillane moved his research group to the University of Galway, as the Established Professor (Chair) of Plant Science. He was Head of Discipline of Botany & Plant Science (2009 – 2014) at the university. In 2017, Spillane was appointed as Director of the interdisciplinary Ryan Institute.[9]
Spillane is a co-founder of (and was Chair of until January 2026) the Irish Forum for International Agricultural Development (IFIAD).[10]
Between 2024-2026, Spillane was a member of Board of Trustees of the CGIAR's International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas.[11]
In January 2026, Spillane began working within the Core Leadership Team of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as the FAO Chief Scientist.[2]
References
- ^ "Organizational Chart | FAO | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations". www.fao.org.
- ^ a b "University of Galway academic appointed to key UN position". GalwayBayFM. 2025-12-22. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ^ Griffin, Joe (2025-12-17). "Irish academic appointed as FAO chief scientist". Agriland. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ^ "Irish academic appointed chief scientist at the UN". www.irishamerica.com. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ^ "December - University of Galway". www.ugal.ie. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ^ "Agriculture, Food Systems and Bioeconomy Research Centre - University of Galway". www.universityofgalway.ie.
- ^ "Charles Spillane". Loop. Archived from the original on 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ^ "SpillaneLab". spillanelab.org. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ^ Ryan Institute University of Galway (2023-02-20). What are the Sustainable Development Goals? Charlie Spillane Explains. Retrieved 2026-01-05 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Home". IFIAD. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ^ "Board of trustees". ICARDA. Retrieved 2026-01-05.