o Dr Rod Mailer receiving his award at an official ceremony in Sweden.
o Dr Mailer with other award winners.
Former Wagga Scientist Dr Rod Mailer has been awarded a fellowship by the prestigious Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry at a ceremony attended by the King and Queen of Sweden.
Rod is the son of former residents of Nyngan the late Bill and Helen Mailer. He was educated at Nyngan Public School and then went on to All Saints’ College in Bathurst.
On January 28, consulting scientist for NSW Department of Primary Industries, Dr Mailer travelled to Stockholm where five international fellows received letters of fellowship from the president of the esteemed academy, Sarah Von Arnold.
Dr Mailer and his wife attended a royal banquet afterwards, where the King and Queen and other dignitaries were present. More than 500 guests celebrated outstanding Swedish scientists for their contribution to the industry.
His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf congratulated deserving recipients on their progressive research and dedication.
“I was extremely honoured to be awarded the fellowship and it was certainly one of the highlights of my career,” Dr Mailer said.
While in Stockholm, Dr Mailer also presented talks on his research to three institutes in and around the city.
“My research talks focused on the Australian edible oils industry and the current situation with bio-energy in Australia,” he said.
He is responsible for the development of the nationally and internationally acclaimed, state-of-the-art Australian Oils Research Laboratory at Wagga.
Dr Mailer joined the NSW Department of Primary Industries in 1979 and during his time managed research projects in various oil crops, particularly canola and olive oil.
He was the head of the department’s edible oils research program in Wagga, until he resigned in 2010.
