Elizabeth Jean Woods (born 18 October 1955) is an agriculture expert and the former Director-General of the Queensland

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry may refer to: * Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia) ** Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Queensland) The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is a de ...

. She was also the Chair of the

WorldFish WorldFish is an international nonprofit research institution that creates and translates scientific research on aquatic food systems. WorldFish is a member of CGIAR, which unites international organizations engaged in research about food secur ...

Board of Trustees, an international non-profit organization whose mission is to harness the potential of

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...

to reduce hunger and poverty in developing countries, until June 2017. Alongside that, Woods is also a professor of

Agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit w ...

at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

Early life and education

Woods received her Bachelor of Science in Aquaculture with First Class Honors from the

. She then went on to become one of the first female

Rhodes Scholars The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

and completed her

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

Agricultural economics Agricultural economics is an applied field of economics concerned with the application of economic theory in optimizing the production and distribution of food and fiber products. Agricultural economics began as a branch of economics that specif ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

Career and notable achievements

She began her career as a Manager of Farming Systems at the

Queensland Department of Primary Industries The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is a department of the Queensland Government which aims to maximise the economic potential for Queensland's primary industries on a sustainable basis through strategic industrial development. The sec ...

, and for her successful work she received the medal of

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

. From 1991 to 1997, Woods was a Member of the

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) is an Australian Government statutory agency in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio, reporting to thMinister of Foreign Affairs ACIAR was established under ...

, which she later chaired. She has served as a board member of many organizations and committees, such as the ACIAR, the

Grains Research and Development Corporation A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legume ...

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentar ...

(Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), Rural Adjustment Scheme Advisory Council, and the Gatton College Council. In addition to that, she has chaired for the

Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Agrifutures Australia, formerly the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), is an Australian statutory corporation set up by the Australian Government in 1990 to help fund research and development in Australian rural indu ...

International Rice Research Institute The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international agricultural research and training organization with its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, in the Philippines, and offices in seventeen countries. IRRI is known for its wor ...

, and the 2004 National Drought Policy Review. Woods retired from her role as Director-General of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in Queensland, in January 2021.

References

External links

Beth Woods - WorldFish Staff Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Beth 1955 births Living people University of Queensland alumni Australian Rhodes Scholars